EPPO Arrests Suspect in $79M Cross-Border VAT Fraud Probe

Source briefing · A concise briefing based on one linked source. It is intentionally shorter than a full FreedomWitness Evidence Engine analysis.

What the source reports

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has arrested another suspect in its “Escape Room” investigation into a cross-border VAT carousel fraud network operating across six EU countries. The wider network allegedly used hundreds of shell companies and fictitious invoices to conceal transactions involving electronic devices and evade VAT in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands and Poland. EPPO estimates the scheme caused at least $79 million in losses in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Eight other suspects were arrested in Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland…

Evidence note: At this stage FreedomWitness is presenting what this source reports. This briefing does not independently prove every underlying claim and should be read together with the original material.

Source & verification

Primary source: OCCRP · September 23, 2026

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