Polish authorities have detained five individuals on suspicion of tax fraud, the use of fictitious invoices and ML. The detainees worked for an employment agency that handled the recruitment of temporary workers from Ukraine and Belarus.
Authorities have charged the detainees with several counts of ML and tax crime, including VAT fraud. Particularly, the detainees were involved in the issuance of fictitious VAT invoices worth more than PLN 40 million ($10.14m). Authorities have temporarily detained two of the suspects for three months. Meanwhile, the other three will be under police surveillance and are prohibited from leaving the country or seeking bail.
Authorities have seized the suspects’ property, including 6 real estates (both land and houses) worth over PLN 2 million ($5,10,000), over a dozen watches worth around PLN 27,000 ($6,844), PLN 500,000 ($1,26,733) in cash, and several shares. These seized properties will help pay for the losses borne by the State Treasury. Authorities have obtained evidence suggesting that the agency’s activities exposed the State Treasury to losses amounting to PLN 13 million ($3.30m).