Europe police forces arrest 27 in 15-nation VAT fraud plot

[THE HAGUE] Police in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland, working with forces across Europe, arrested 27 people Thursday, busting a network which has dodged some 320 million euros (S$485.1 million) in VAT.

More than 49 searches were conducted in a coordinated sweep in 15 European countries also including Belgium, Britain, the Czech Republic, Denmark and France, the EU's judicial agency Eurojust said.

"This joint action, called Operation Vertigo 3, is part of a large-scale investigation into organised VAT fraud," the Hague-based agency said in a statement.

It said the network had been escaping tax payments via "a sophisticated" scheme of failing to declare the correct VAT.

"Strong collaboration among all team members from the early stages of this investigation" had helped to identify key players and ensure "effective targeted measures across national borders."

AFP