False invoices worth PLN 48 million. An astute businessman from Łódź was extorting VAT wholesale

The prosecutor's office presented charges of multi-million VAT fraud by a 57-year-old entrepreneur from Łódź. Over the course of 4 years, the suspect allegedly used unreliable invoices worth over PLN 48 million and thus obtained almost PLN 9 million in undue benefits from tax deductions.

On Friday, prosecutor Paweł Jasiak, spokesman for the local district prosecutor's office, where the Economic Crime Department is investigating the case, announced the charges against the businessman from Łódź.

– The mechanism used by the suspect was to buy fabrics in China, import them to Poland, and then sell them to Polish companies. At the same time, he managed several companies formally registered as figureheads. They did not conduct any real business, but operated only to allegedly participate in imports and issue sales invoices, he said.

The prosecutor added that the suspect did not disclose any transactions with foreign entities on his side, and he presented the Tax Office with unreliable invoices issued by fictitious companies that he created himself. These – as prosecutor Jasiak said – were transferred to deceased persons after the tax liability had arisen. This method of operation enabled the issuance of unreliable invoices worth over PLN 48 million and the avoidance of payment of nearly PLN 9 million in tax.

During a search of the premises occupied by the suspect, officers of the Łódź Customs and Tax Office found significant amounts of clothing from luxury brands. These included over 270 pairs of shoes, nearly 30 watches, over 20 handbags, nearly 50 pairs of glasses, over 25 pairs of trousers and nearly 200 pieces of other items of exclusive clothing, including belts, ties, scarves, coats, jackets and suits.

– We also found a large amount of jewelry in the suspect's apartment, and due to the suspicion that the items were purchased with funds obtained from crime, the prosecutor decided to secure all the found property – said the prosecutor.

In addition to luxury goods bearing the names of famous designers, the prosecutor's office seized real estate that the suspect had transferred to family members before his arrest. His bank accounts were also blocked.

– The charges brought against the suspect include, among others, the so-called crime tax crime, which is punishable by up to 25 years in prison – the prosecutor told PAP.

The suspicious businessman will be held accountable. He was placed under police supervision and subject to high property security. (PAP)

jus/agz/