Seven reported for VAT fraud, 1.2 million euros seized

Italian tax police on Friday seized over 1.2 million euros of assets deriving from alleged tax evasion in connection with the wholesale purchase of electronic and high-tech items worth over 13 million euros. Seven people have been charged with criminal association and tax fraud in relation to the operation, which consisted in issuing false invoices in order to avoid paying VAT on purchases from suppliers in other EU countries and then claiming credits on the tax that had not been paid. The organisation, based in Ciampino southwest of Rome, was led by a Romanian national with numerous previous convictions. All the other members of the organisation were Italian.