Balgarianovinite.com The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said that at its request Bulgaria has carried out more than 80 searches and investigative measures ar since Thursday in an investigation into cross-border VAT fraud, causing an estimated damage of over EUR 13 million. Six Bulgarian citizens were arrested.
The searches were carried out in nine cities, including Sofia, Haskovo, Plovdiv, Ruse, Dobrich, Vratsa, Dimitrovgrad, Kozloduy and Mizia, by the General Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime, with the support of Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security.
Documents and evidence were seized, as well as mobile phones, golden coins and medals for investment, and over EUR 255, 000 in cash.
The criminal group has been active since 2019, operating a VAT carousel fraud scheme – a complex criminal scheme that takes advantage of EU rules on cross-border transactions between its Member States, as these are exempt from value-added tax (VAT).
The scheme under investigation aimed at establishing and exercising control over ‘missing trader’ companies. Through more than 60 companies established in Bulgaria, Greece and Romania, fictitious commercial transactions were declared, in order to claim VAT refunds from the national tax authorities, to which the suspects were not entitled, since the supposed suppliers, also controlled by the group, had disappeared, without making any payments.
One of the schemes involved simulated trading in animal feed, generating a total turnover of more than EUR 51 million. Another scheme involved fake deliveries of goods in the construction sector.
The damage caused as a result of the activities under investigation is estimated at EUR 13.2 million.
Fight against such “carousel” schemes is one of the main priorities of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, whose mandate covers fraud involving EU funds and cross-border VAT fraud causing losses of over EUR 10 million. In its first annual report, EPPO noted dozens of active cases in Bulgaria involving misuse of EU funds and VAT fraud, and the country regularly appears in major operations of the office, such as Operation Display targeting VAT fraud in 10 EU countries, an investigation into EUR 19 million in fraud involving used mobile phones across six countries, as well as a case concerning a EUR 50 million VAT scheme in the trade of electronic goods involving Bulgaria, Germany, and Poland. Bulgaria Carries Out Over 80 Searches in VAT Fraud Investigation Under EPPO 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-12-05 17:39:01 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law