Eurojust supported authorities in Germany, Croatia, Czechia and Italy to counter a long-term fraud with illegal or undeclared labour and tax evasion. During an action day, five suspects were arrested for allegedly running a network of building enterprises that employed labourers without paying taxes and social levies. In total, 47 places were searched in the four countries concerned.
The perpetrators set up three different building companies, mainly operating in and around the city of Münster in Germany, which did not pay taxes or social levies on the wages of their employees. To mask this fraud, a string of so-called service companies were set up in the Czechia, which supplied fake invoices. One of the suspects also functioned as alleged manager or administrator of some of the enterprises, to give the fraud an official front.
The fraud ran at least since 2019 and was uncovered by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Münster in North-Rhine Westphalia. At their request, Eurojust supported the recent action day, with the execution of European Investigation Orders in the four countries and provided legal assistance.
Operations were carried out at the request of and by the following authorities:
- Germany: Public Prosecutor’s Office Münster; Main Custom Office Münster; Tax Investigation Münster
- Croatia: County State Attorney’s Office in Rijeka
- Czechia: Municipal Public Prosecutor’s Office Prague; Regional Police Directorate Prague, Economic Crime Unit; Regional Police Directorate České Budějovice, Economic Crime Unit
- Italy: Public Prosecutor’s Office Trieste; Carabinieri Unit at Public Prosecutor’s Office Trieste
