250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE GUARDIA DI FINANCA: OPERATING BUDGET FROM 1 JANUARY 2023 TO 31 MAY 2024
The Provincial Command of Trapani celebrated today, outside the “Paolo Clementi” Barracks in via Torrearsa, the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the Guardia di Finanza, with a ceremony in which, in addition to the Prefect of Trapani, took part the highest civil, military and religious authorities of the province of Trapani.
On the occasion of this celebration, the Provincial Commander of the Guardia di Finanza of Trapani – Gen. B. Geremia Guercia, provided moral rewards to the soldiers employed by the departments of this Provincial Command who distinguished themselves in brilliant service operations concluded in the last year.
During the short ceremony, the message of the President of the Republic and the special agenda of the Commander General, Gen. CA Andrea De Gennaro, were read out. The ceremony concluded with the recitation of the Financier’s Prayer.
As has happened in recent years, the anniversary constitutes an opportunity to summarize the operational results achieved in the last year and a half by the Corps departments operating in the province of Trapani primarily in law enforcement action:
• tax evasion, avoidance and fraud;
• to crimes in the sector of the protection of public spending;
• to organized crime and offenses in economic-financial matters.
GDF: ALL-FIELD COMMITMENT” AGAINST CRIME TO PROTECT CITIZENS AND BUSINESSES
In 2023 and in the first five months of 2024, the Trapani Provincial Command carried out over 6000 inspections and around 300 investigations to combat economic-financial crimes and the infiltration of crime into the economy: an “all-round” commitment to protect families and businesses, destined to intensify further to guarantee the correct allocation of the resources of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
FIGHTING FRAUD AND TAX EVASION
The inspection activities made it possible to identify a total of 115 tax evaders, i.e. carrying out business or self-employment activities completely unknown to the tax authorities and ascertained a net taxable base subtracted from taxation of approximately 35 million euros, while a total of 91 employers were reported for having employed 224 “off the books” or “irregular” workers.
There are 74 subjects reported for tax crimes, of which n. 3 under arrest. The value of the assets seized as profits from tax evasion and fraud amounts to over 3 million euros.
A proposal has been made to terminate the VAT number and cancel the VIES database in respect of an economic entity characterized by tax risk profiles.
The checks and investigations against illegal gaming made it possible to report 55 subjects, of which 15 were reported to the Judicial Authority, as well as to proceed with the seizure of n. 7 clandestine betting collection points.
PROTECTION OF PUBLIC EXPENDITURE
The activity in the sector of the protection of public spending is aimed at monitoring the correct use of national and European Union resources for the implementation of interventions to support businesses and families.
The directives given aim, as a priority, to monitor projects and investments financed with resources from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. In this context, 94 interventions were carried out aimed at verifying citizens and businesses’ entitlement to tax credits, contributions and financing, as well as the correct execution of works and services subject to public procurement, subjecting contributions for over 6.3 to million euros and receivables for over 10.6 million euros.
On the national public spending front, in the same period, over 270 interventions were carried out on citizenship income and new inclusion and support measures for training and work, which made it possible to ascertain contributions unduly requested and/or received for over 2 million euros, as well as to report 178 perpetrators.
There were 5 people reported for crimes relating to procurement, corruption and other crimes against the Public Administration and contracts for a total value of over 230 thousand euros were subjected to inspection.
On the tax side, 17 subjects were reported to the accounting judiciary, as well as ascertained tax damages of over 450 thousand euros.
The collaboration in the area with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office is growing, with which no. 4 investigations which led to the denunciation of 12 perpetrators and the execution of seizures for 4.7 million euros.
FIGHTING ORGANIZED AND ECONOMIC-FINANCIAL CRIME
In the fight against organized and economic-financial crime, the Corps’ action aims to block criminal infiltration into the legal economy and, at the same time, to protect the free market and respect for the rules of healthy competition.
In the area of money laundering and self-laundering, 15 interventions were carried out, which led to the reporting of 28 people and the seizure of assets worth over 4.3 million euros.
193 reports of suspicious transactions were investigated.
In relation to bankruptcy crimes and the corporate crisis code, 53 managers were reported to the competent judicial authorities.
With reference to the results achieved in application of the anti-mafia legislation, 146 subjects were subjected to asset checks, while the seizure and confiscation measures carried out reached, overall, the amount of 24.2 million euros. However, the value of movable assets, immovable properties, companies, company shares and financial resources proposed to the Judicial Authority for seizure amounts to 3.7 million euros.
In the period in question, the departments dependent on this Provincial Command seized a total of over 2.7 kg of narcotic substances, mainly consisting of hashish and marijuana, reporting 18 subjects to the competent AG (of which 6 were under arrest) and reporting 47 to the competent Prefect.
Furthermore, 1,260 investigations were carried out relating to functional checks for the release of anti-mafia documentation at the local Prefecture.
On the counterfeiting front, 7 interventions were carried out, which made it possible to seize over 11,700 illegal products because they were counterfeit, unsafe or bearing false or misleading indications of origin or provenance.
COMPETITION IN PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY SERVICES
As part of the broader mission to contribute to the internal and external security of the country, the Guardia di Finanza ensures extensive action to combat illicit trafficking in drugs, weapons and human beings.
From January 2023 to today, on the subject of illegal immigration, the position of n. 180 subjects of Tunisian nationality tested positive for AFIS, arresting 55 of them, as they were already recipients of expulsion orders.
The Corps’ competitive commitment to the protection of public order and security continues to be guaranteed in the management of public demonstrations and events of particular importance, in which the Corps participates as a priority with the use of specialized Anti-Terrorism Ready-to-Employ soldiers. “AT-PI”.
In 2023, the Guardia di Finanza, in the province of Trapani, employed a total of 845 man-days in public order services during demonstrations, sporting events and other events. This commitment, which is continuing in 2024, has led to an overall use of 396 man-days in public order services.
