The criminal investigation into the car rental company began after an audit by the Tax Authorities. It was found that the company had large amounts of cash that could not be adequately explained from known tax data. According to the driver, the money came from a loan with a foreign company. However, that company had been removed from the trade register years earlier. Documents submitted during the tax investigation were found to be forged. After the criminal investigation by the FIOD was completed, the OM concluded that since 2013, a cash flow of over 2.3 million euros had run through the car rental company and the individuals involved, the legal origin of which is insufficiently clear.

Resolution

The community must be able to trust that documents that are part of a business administration are not falsified. By maintaining a cash flow of dubious origin, the defendants have committed money laundering. This undermines the integrity of financial-economic transactions. For these violations, the OM imposes penalties. The driver of the car rental company had the largest share in this case. The roles of the son and ex-wife were smaller. Therefore, the driver received multiple fines and a community service order. The OM chose an efficient and appropriate resolution in the form of penalty orders, partly because the defendants reached an agreement with the Tax Authorities to pay the entire tax debt. Through the court, it would take longer for the case to be heard and thus resolved due to limited hearing capacity. A penalty order leads to a criminal record. This press release contributes to the OM being able to provide transparency about the resolution of this case.