(Luxembourg, 6 June 2025) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Munich (Germany) has secured another conviction in an investigation into organised VAT fraud involving platinum coins. The convicted is one of the leaders behind a criminal organisation responsible for defrauding over €23 million in taxes.
Last week (27 May), the Munich Regional Court (Landgericht München I) sentenced one individual for organised VAT fraud. The court sentenced the defendant to six years and three months of imprisonment and confiscated €4.9 million.
As previously reported, the members of the criminal organisation controlled a so-called VAT carousel scheme, which involved the repeated circulation of platinum coins through the same companies. As some of these companies did not fulfil their tax obligations, their criminal activities led to an estimated tax loss in Germany of at least €23 million. The core of the criminal activity was located in Hamburg, Chemnitz and Munich (Germany), and the money laundering was primarily organised in Czechia and Slovakia, with links to Romania.
The investigation leading to this conviction was carried out by the Tax Investigation Office in Chemnitz (Steuerfahndung Chemnitz).
The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.