GNR detains 47-year-old man in operation against VAT fraud with losses exceeding two million euros
The GNR conducted 31 searches across the districts of Aveiro, Braga, Porto and Santarém as part of Operation "Invoice", which investigates VAT fraud in the buying and selling of used cars.
GNR Operation "Invoice" investigates fiscal fraud scheme across four districts
The National Republican Guard detained a 47-year-old man and conducted 31 searches on Wednesday as part of an investigation into suspected tax fraud and money laundering. Correio da Manhã reports that the operation covered the districts of Aveiro, Braga, Porto and Santarém.
Of the 31 searches carried out, ten were residential and 21 were non-residential. The sole detainee is being held on suspicion of "the crime of possession of a prohibited firearm", according to a GNR statement released on Thursday.
During the searches, seven firearms and respective ammunition, seven mobile phones, one computer, one tablet and "various documentation with evidentiary relevance" were seized.
Scheme centred on purchase of used vehicles in the EU
Operation "Invoice", conducted by the GNR's Fiscal Action Unit (UAF), aims to dismantle "a scheme of fraud against Value Added Tax (VAT), associated with the acquisition of used motor vehicles in various European Union Member States and their subsequent commercialisation in national territory". The estimated fiscal loss to date exceeds two million euros.
In total, 81 military personnel from the UAF and three from the GNR Territorial Command in Braga participated in the operation, supported by 44 officers from the Tax and Customs Authority.
Source: Correio da Manhã