European Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the existence of an alleged criminal scheme to buy and sell vehicles that would use instrumental companies and fronts to provide a “huge profit margin” to dozens of Spanish dealership owners. They would do this according to the regulations. UDEF And Civil Guard In a report contained in the preliminary proceedings initiated by the Public Ministry and to which this newspaper has access through its purchase high end cars inside GermanySome were valued at up to 200,000 euros by Portuguese organisations. The cars, which had to pass through Spain before being registered there, never reached their theoretical destination.
In this way, the previous tax investigation ensures that by “crazy criminal activities” they could evade paying millions of euros in VAT in less than three years, using what is known as “terrible criminal activities”. fake shaped like a “carousel”.
As El Periódico de España of the Prensa Ibérica group learned, the investigation that could lead to criminal charges already takes as a “starting point” that at least 50 people were involved in the alleged fraud. For the purchase and sale of more than 1,900 vehicles of at least value between 2019-2021 74 million euros. And according to the documents, this is “a figure that starts from the minimums.”
The case, which started as a result of the investigation of the Granada Prosecutor’s Office, was transferred to the European Prosecutor’s Office on the grounds that it was an intra-community tax issue. In Spain, the Economic and Financial Crimes Unit (UDEF) of the National Police and the Civil Guard prepared a report within the scope of the investigation initiated by the prosecutor’s office, and the incident is currently at the declaration stage of the investigators. If there are signs of a crime, what happened may reach the National Court.
The final number of defendants in our country has not yet been determined, although there are dozens of defendants spread across various autonomous communities such as Navarra, Andalusia, Madrid, La Rioja or Catalonia. As described by Prosecutor’s Office In the Spanish demands last October, it was stated that what happened could constitute a crime against the public treasury, membership in a criminal organization and money laundering.
Crazy criminal activity
The leaders of the organization were looking for front men, known as “trout” in police jargon in Germany. high end vehicles Value between 50,000 and 200,000 euros. They then simulated sales to third parties in Portugal, and finally the cars were sold at Spanish dealerships; here the investigation would go on to determine which car owners were aware of the scheme and which were not. These cars never drove through Portuguese territory, but they had permission if they were stopped during their supposed passage through Spain.
Dubbed by the investigation as a “carousel scam with far-fetched trout”, this financial framework is intended to confuse the Tax Office (AEAT) when it comes to paying VAT on the sale of these vehicles.
“There is no doubt as to the existence of a claim. crazy criminal activity Perfectly organized through a particular organization and also completely instrumentalized commercial structures. Through these, a throughput is created that provides great benefits not only at the stage of purchasing and promoting vehicles in Spain, but also at the stage of final distribution,” explains the joint report presented by UDEF and Civil protection at the end of 2021.
‘Truchas’ to buy cars
According to this document, from which the current investigation of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office originates, agents who launched the investigation in March 2021 observed the “dynamism and ease” with which the conspiracy was adapted to “overwhelm” the Administration and thereby evade it. “detection” of their activities. “At that time, it was stated that the number of vehicles was around the militia; this figure has become completely invalid today as a result of the crazy activities of the organization.”
Reports available to El Periódico de España explain how this happened German companies acted as suppliers, some “assuming collusion with the network”. and how Portuguese companies were “created and instrumentalized by those in charge of the organization as ‘distant trout’ to introduce high-end vehicles in Spain without tax burdens and provide a wide profit margin for Spanish companies.”
Ospina said: “We are at the preliminary stage of the investigation and we are fully confident in the innocence of our client. When we talk about VAT fraud on doner, we ask for the necessary attention to determine who the real fraudster is. Like many, we are faced with a situation where the person selling a product is unaware of the tax evasion that is developing in relation to this product “We are facing.”