As part of an intervention plan planned by the Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza of Syracuse against subjects characterized by indices of “fiscal danger”, a complex scam was discovered which allowed, during investigations directed by the local Prosecutor’s Office, of the Republic, the preventive seizure of approximately 13 million euros, an amount corresponding to the value of real estate and property Fictitious tax credits relating to the 110% Superbonus.
“The attention of the financiers of the Economic-Financial Police Unit”, reports a press release, “was directed to two real estate sales contracts stipulated as buyers by a married couple, dating back to 2020 and 2021 and concerning in both cases a building in a state of abandonment and the adjoining agricultural land”.
From an abandoned building to a luxury resort
“Immediately after the signing of the deed, the establishment of two condominiums based in the province of Syracuse and Ragusa was registered in the tax registry, of which a lady (the wife) was the representative; after having obtained the required local authorizations, the building renovation works began, with the demolition and reconstruction of the buildings in order to transform them into residential and tourist accommodation facilities.
In light of the costs incurred, the aforementioned condominium owners made requests for the Superbonus tax benefit, obtaining recognition of a credit equal to 110% of the amount spent on the works. Although these administrative practices do not present any profile of illegality in compliance with the sector regulations contained in the so-called relaunch decree which regulated the tax relief in question, the financiers nevertheless ascertained the fraudulent nature of this action. In fact, it was found that before the signing of the two deeds the spouses proceeded, without yet having the right and with the help of some compliant professionals, to divide the two buildings into the cadastral register by establishing 118 new subordinates compared to the original 4, with the sole purpose, as investigations have shown, of obtaining a tax benefit far greater than the amount due. In this regard, the 110% Superbonus regulation allows you to benefit from a maximum amount per single real estate unit of 96,000 euros. In fact, where the properties had not been divided up, with the (fictitious) establishment of the common management body, the suspects would have been able to benefit from the benefit for a maximum of only four real estate units for an easily obtainable total of a few hundred thousand EUR. However, this division implemented by the two new condominiums was merely formal, given the absence of a real division (electrical systems, drains, water pipes) between the constituent real estate units.
Indeed, immediately after the start of the works, it was found that, in relation to one of the two buildings, on some portals of the most important real estate agencies as well as on some social platforms the real nature of the subdivision was advertised which was not to constitute a condominium and divide it into residential units but create a luxury Wellness & Spa Resort, consisting of apartments, a large hotel, a multifunctional area, a restaurant and a wellness centre.
In this way, with the help of professionals, consultants and the companies that had carried out the work, two very important speculative real estate operations were carried out, financing them entirely at state expense.
In view of the above, by delegation of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Syracuse, after having entered in the register of suspects those responsible for the crime of fraud for the obtaining of public funds, the financiers proceeded with the preventive seizure of the real estate complex worth over 8 million euros, of tax credits already granted for 1.3 million euros and a further 3.5 million euros still in the recognition phase, ready to be used to offset the taxes due, generating huge damage to the treasury”, concludes the statement from the Fiamme Gialle.
