The defendants, nine Portuguese and two French, are accused of creating and operating a criminal association, dedicated to the sale of electronic items on the European market, avoiding the payment of VAT.
The Central Criminal Court of Lisbon begins this Thursday to try 26 defendants – 11 people and 15 companies – in a case of intra-community VAT fraud, which involved several countries and caused a loss of 80 million euros in Portugal.
The accusation arose after a investigation codenamed “Admiral”Now being the first trial in the field of the most complex investigation on VAT fraud by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) to date.
The accounts of the process. estimated losses in Portugal of 80 million eurosbut the estimated losses for the European Union (EU) and for the national budgets of the EU countries affected by the fraud in the “Almirante” case can They amount to 2,900 million euros.
The accused (nine Portuguese and two French) are accused of creating and operating a criminal association, dedicated to the sale of electronic items in the European market, avoiding the payment of VAT.. The charges include several crimes of qualified tax fraud, money laundering, active and passive corruption in the private sector and falsification of documents.
The alleged facts It will have occurred between 2016 and November 2022.
The proceedings against one of the defendants have since been stayed, subject to compliance with certain obligations, and will continue on separate terms.
Three of the accused are in preventive detention and another is under house arrest. 14 companies registered in Portugal and one in Cyprus are also accused.
HE court has already scheduled 17 trial hearings until January 16, 2025 and, subsequently, they will meet every Monday and Thursday, if necessary, until the end of the trial.
As indicated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Those accused may face prison terms. up to eight years for each of the crimes of qualified tax fraud, also responding for the crimes of money laundering, active and passive corruption in the private sector and falsification of documents. Accused companies are subject to fines or dissolution.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is an independent entity of the European Union. It is responsible for carrying out the prosecution, in investigation and trial, of crimes that harm the financial interests of the EU.
Source: Observadora
