ROVIGO – In 2023 and in the first five months of 2024 the Financial Police of Rovigo performed 3,900 inspections and 342 investigations to combat economic-financial crimes and the infiltration of economic crime: an “all-round” commitment to protect families and businesses, destined to be further intensified to guarantee the correct allocation of the resources of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
The inspection activities made it possible to identify a total of 57 tax evaders, that is, those carrying out business or self-employed activities completely unknown to the tax authorities and 38 illegal or illegal workers.
Furthermore, 3 cases of international tax evasion were discovered, mainly attributable to hidden stable organisations, transfer price manipulation, fictitious tax residences and the illicit holding of capital across borders.
There are 68 individuals reported for tax crimes.
As a result of investigations delegated by the judicial authority, non-existent tax credits in construction and energy matters were also cautioned and reported to the Revenue Agency (110% super bonus or facade bonus) or at high tax risk, as well as seized assets constituting profits from tax evasion and fraud, for a value of 10,377,516 euros.
25 proposals were made for the termination of the VAT number and the cancellation from the Vies database against economic entities characterized by tax risk profiles.
The 14 interventions regarding excise duties made it possible to ascertain 2,000 euros of evaded taxes. There are, however, 12 customs controls on goods introduced into the national territory in tax evasion, counterfeit or in violation of safety regulations.
The checks and investigations against illegal gaming have made it possible to find violations regarding amusement and entertainment devices and devices and totems, imposing sanctions, for various reasons, of 598,500 euros, registering 50 subjects of which 4 were reported.
The activity of the Financial Police in the sector of the protection of public spending is aimed at supervising the correct use of European Union and national 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 (Pnrr). In this context, 81 interventions were carried out aimed at verifying the entitlement of citizens and businesses to tax credits, contributions and financing, as well as the correct execution of the works and services covered by public tenders.
Attention is also paid to the protection of other resources of the European Union, including the aid provided for by the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy. In this regard, our departments conducted 2 interventions with regular results.
On the national public spending front, in the same period, 83 interventions were carried out, of which 43 related to citizenship income and new inclusion and support measures for training and work.
The action to combat fraud against resources provided by the European Union has led overall to the ascertainment of contributions unduly received by natural and legal persons for an amount of 5,791,162 euros; similarly, contributions of 1,904,694 euros unduly received relating to national funding and social security and welfare spending were ascertained.
There is a growing collaboration in the area with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, with which 4 investigations were carried out which led to the denunciation of a person responsible and the execution of seizures worth 44,042 euros.
The action of the Corps in combating corruption and other crimes against the Public Administration, carried out by leveraging the specific investigative powers that characterise the economic-financial police and by developing structured investigations of a technical, financial and patrimonial nature, aimed at reconstructing the criminal underworld and the role of the subjects involved, has led to the complaint of a Public Official and to a proposal for the seizure of assets amounting to 153,261 euros.
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 field of money laundering and self-laundering, 26 interventions were carried out, which led to the reporting of 43 people, of which 6 were arrested, and to the reconstruction of illicit operations for 30,067,540 euros.
104 suspicious financial flows (Reports of Suspicious Transactions) generated by operators of the anti-money laundering prevention system were investigated.
The Corps’ action also continued to protect savers in combating all forms of banking and financial abuse, carried out mainly through electronic channels and increasingly innovative digital tools, with the reporting of 11 subjects and the execution of seizures for 76,885 euros.
In terms of bankruptcy crimes and the corporate crisis code, the seized assets amount to 315,140 euros out of a total of stolen corporate assets of 22,513,086 euros while with reference to usury and extortion, 2 individuals were reported.
In application of anti-mafia legislation, 15 individuals were subjected to asset checks, which led to seizure proposals for a total value of 2,457,009 euros.
Then, 316 checks were carried out following requests received from the Prefects of the Republic, the majority of which (312) referred to checks functional to the release of anti-mafia documentation.
In the period under review, the dependent departments seized 172 grams of narcotic substances, consisting of cocaine (9), hashish (152) and marijuana (11), reporting 6 subjects to the Judicial Authority and reporting 11 to the Prefect. The fight against illicit trafficking, in general, is also ensured within the “117” Service, the subject of recent interventions in the operational, training and technical-logistic fields, aimed at increasing the operational readiness and effectiveness of the patrols’ intervention on the territory and on naval vessels, in response to citizen reports.
In terms of protection of the goods and services market, 53 interventions were carried out, 14 powers of the Judicial Authority were developed and 9 subjects were reported. Following these activities were subject to seizure of 11,174 and 20,613 kg of counterfeit products, with false indication of being made in Italy, unsafe and in violation of copyright legislation.
Also seized were 6,627 kg of agri-food products bearing falsified industrial brands, false indications and the subject of commercial fraud.
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 dependent Departments employed a total of 44 man-days in public order services during demonstrations and sporting events. This commitment, which is continuing in 2024, has led to a total employment of 30 man-days in public order services.
