Laura Kövesi, the formidable European chief prosecutor, underscored the uniqueness of EPPO-led probes. “Our approach outstrips traditional cross-border coordination in speed, efficiency, and intelligence gathering,” she stated, heralding a new era in combating financial crimes.
The EPPO has classified this case as a VAT carousel fraud. In this complex dance of deceit, the culprits exploited cross-border transactions to their advantage. Such scams are not petty crimes; they drain about €50 billion annually from EU member states.
Operation Goliath: A Colossal Crackdown
On November 22, German police spearheaded approximately 60 raids as part of ‘Operation Goliath’. The haul from these raids was significant: cash, a luxury watch, 1,800 AirPods, two luxury cars, and even a communication jamming device. The total value of these seized assets exceeded €1.4 million.
The plot thickens with the involvement of a German company, implicated in money laundering and connected to a Hungarian firm under scrutiny for tax evasion. The Hungarian entity is suspected of storing and peddling the goods while running its own VAT evasion racket.
