Wheat, corn import racket dismantled
Greece’s Financial Crimes Squad (SDOE) has dismantled a racket that imported wheat and corn from Bulgaria, involving dummy companies in that country and Greece, and sold it in the Greek market without paying VAT.
What’s more, Bulgarian authorities are investigating whether the grain came from Ukraine.
Grain prices have soared since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and are more than double compared to last year, with an adverse impact on livestock farms that use it as animal feed.
The situation has provided fertile ground for rackets to move products at lower prices by avoiding paying taxes.
According to data collected by SDOE after an audit of an import company that was inactive, it appears that a network of dummy companies had been set up through which large quantities of grain were imported, without VAT being paid, either in Greece or Bulgaria.
The recipients were large livestock units in Thessaloniki, Veria, Yiannitsa and other areas of Central Macedonia.
SDOE estimates, based on the invoices issued by the dummy companies, suggest that the tax evasion amounts to “tens of millions of euros.”
The grain was sold at very low prices in the Greek market, earning the racket hundreds of thousands of euros in profits.
SDOE said 14 companies were involved in the racket.
In an announcement, SDOE said that inspections have been intensified on companies importing and trading in wheat, corn and animal feed.
It said that the focus of these inspections, apart from the fight against fraud and the protection of the interests of the Greek state and the EU, is on the protection of consumers from unfair competition practices.
