Criminal group extorting VAT tax has been dismantled

Officers of the Regional Office of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau in Poznań conduct an investigation under the supervision of the Greater Poland Branch of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor's Office in Poznań. The ongoing preparatory proceedings concern the fictitious trade in unreliable invoices by a group of business entities simulating numerous transactions aimed at depleting the State Treasury through abuse of goods and services tax payments. The estimated value of VAT fraud exceeds PLN 4,000,000.00. The criminal group operated between 2018 and 2023 and introduced over seven hundred fictitious invoices into economic circulation.

The detainees were charged with financial fraud

The evidence material collected in the preparatory proceedings shows that members of the criminal group operated under the guise of running a business involving the trade in products such as machines, equipment and parts that were allegedly to be delivered to KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. At least eight business entities were involved in fictitious invoice trading.

On November 14-15, 2023, based on the Prosecutor's decisions, officers of the Regional Offices of theCentral Anti-Corruption Bureau from Poznań, Wrocław, Katowice, Kraków and Łódź, in the Lower Silesian and Silesian Voivodeships, detained eight people – four women and four men.

Searches were carried out at the places of residence and place of business of the detainees in order to secure material evidence that may be important in the case. Officers of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau seized over PLN 400,000.00 in cash.

The suspects were brought to the Greater Poland Branch of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor's Office in Poznań, where they were charged under articles 271a, 286, 294 and 258 of the Penal Code.

Preventive measures applied in the investigation

At the request of the Prosecutor, the Court applied an isolating preventive measure against two suspects in the form of pre-trial detention for a period of three months. However, in the case of the six remaining suspects, the Prosecutor applied preventive measures in the form of police supervision, a ban on leaving the country and a property guarantee ranging from PLN 100,000.00 to PLN 200,000.00. The total value of the suspects' property bail is PLN 700,000.00. The financial security granted to the suspects' property for the execution of the imposed penalties and compensation for damage resulting from the crimes committed amounts to almost PLN 6,000,000.00 in total.

The case is ongoing

This is the first procedural implementation in the ongoing investigation. Further implementations are possible.