Learn more about last week’s customs raid

As promised, we will provide more detailed news on last week’s events as the Customs and Finance Bureau’s official statement arrives. We received this two minutes ago, so the details can be read on our site first.

The following lines contain the text of the official information without comment.

"17 billion was laundered by tax fraudsters

Following a covert investigation, the Customs and Finance Guard ordered an investigation into a criminal organization on 2007 November 22, in particular for tax evasion, money laundering, bribery and other criminal offenses, and carried out an extensive series of actions to eradicate a cross-border criminal organization.

In addition to several bodies of the Customs and Finance Guard, the large-scale, coordinated operation involved the MERKUR deployment unit, the ORFK BEI OMEGA deployment unit, the law enforcement training center deployment unit and special units of the Police Security Service's Counter-Terrorism Service.

In order to eradicate the international criminal organization, some 450 participants carried out various investigative acts at nearly 70 locations at the same time, during which 23 suspects were detained. The suspects included executives of real and fictitious companies, a lawyer run by a criminal organization, and employees of financial institutions who were actively involved in tax fraud and money laundering. 

The hierarchically and specialized criminal organization specializes in the distribution, export and import of computer products. Products released for free circulation in Austria were sold in Hungary without being subject to VAT. In order to avoid the tax, the purchase in Hungary was confirmed by invoices issued on behalf of fictitious companies.

In the period from 2006 to November 2007, the criminal organization caused a HUF 3,4 billion tax deficit in its activities, and the investigating authority established a money laundering offense in the amount of HUF 17 billion through its commercial and financial activities.

The criminal organization also involved employees of one of the well-known domestic financial service providers, who are being prosecuted by the Customs and Excise for bribery. Three people were detained for committing this crime.

During the coordinated action, more than HUF 1 billion worth of insurance measures were introduced at each location.

In order to recoup the damage to the budget, the Customs and Excise Department seized approximately USD 70, EUR 50, tens of millions of forints, high-value cars and IT supplies. In addition to the above, nearly a hundred bank accounts were blocked.

At the weekend, on the basis of the motion of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Capital, the Court ordered a coercive measure restricting personal liberty: pre-trial detention against 8 persons and a ban on leaving the person.