BRINDISI – The ceremony commemorating the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the Corps also took place today, Wednesday 26 June, at the provincial command of Brindisi. For this occasion, the operating budget was drawn up from 1 January 2023 to 31 May 2024.
Gdf: “all-round” commitment against crime to protect citizens and businesses
In 2023 and in the first five months of 2024, the Guardia di Finanza carried out 10,445 inspections and 840 investigations in the province of Brindisi to combat economic-financial crimes and the infiltration of crime into the economy: an “all-round” commitment to protection of families and businesses, destined to further intensify to guarantee the correct allocation of the resources of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Fight against fraud and tax evasion
The inspection activities made it possible to identify a total of 82 tax evaders, i.e. those carrying out business or self-employed activities completely unknown to the tax authorities (some of whom operate through electronic commerce platforms) and 411 illegal or irregular workers.
The subjects reported for tax crimes are 119, of which 1 was arrested. As a result of investigations delegated by the judicial authority, non-existent or high tax risk tax credits in construction and energy matters were also cautioned and reported to the Revenue Agency, as well as assets constituting the profit of tax evasion and fraud were seized. tax, for a value of over 9,000,000 euros. 20 proposals have been made for the termination of the VAT number and cancellation from the Vies database.
The 55 excise duty interventions made it possible to seize 12,000 kg of energy products. However, there are 877 customs controls on goods introduced into the national territory in tax evasion, counterfeit or in violation of safety regulations. The anti-smuggling activities led to the identification of 30 kg of foreign manufactured tobacco consumed fraudulently or subjected to seizure and to the reporting of 3 individuals. The checks and investigations against illegal gaming have made it possible to discover 24 clandestine betting collection points and to report 2 perpetrators.
Protection of public spending
The activity of the Guardia di Finanza in the area of public spending protection is aimed at monitoring 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. In this context, 94 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 European Union resources, including aid provided for by the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy. In this regard, the Departments conducted 6 interventions, ascertaining fraud, carried out through the presentation of untruthful data and false property titles, for 555,000 euros, making seizures for 522,000 euros and reporting 10 perpetrators.
On the national public spending front, in the same period, 524 interventions were carried out, of which 255 related to citizenship income and new inclusion and support measures for training and work.
The action to combat fraud against EU resources has led overall to ascertaining contributions unduly received for 970,000 while those relating to national funding, social security and welfare spending amount to 5,000,000 euros.
As part of the collaboration with the judicial authorities – criminal and accounting – 66 investigations were carried out on the subject of public spending, at the end of which 11 individuals were reported and 7 responsible parties were reported to the Court of Auditors, with the ascertainment of damages to the treasury for 946,000 euros.
There is a growing collaboration in the area with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, with which 4 investigations were developed which led to the denunciation of 3 perpetrators and the execution of seizures for 522,000 euros. On the subject of procurement, assignment procedures and methods of execution of works and services for 14,000,000 euros were monitored.
The action of the Corps in combating corruption phenomena and other crimes against the Public Administration, carried out by leveraging the particular investigative powers that characterize the economic-financial police and developing structured investigations of a technical, financial and patrimonial nature, aimed at reconstructing the criminal regimes and the role of the subjects involved, led to the denunciation of 9 people and the seizure of assets worth 311,000 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, 18 interventions were carried out, which led to the reporting of 35 people, and the reconstruction of illicit operations for 11,900,000 euros. Over 242 suspicious financial flows 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, also carried out through electronic channels and increasingly innovative digital tools, with the reporting of 3 subjects. At the land, sea and air borders, 411 checks were carried out on the circulation of currency with the discovery of illicit movements for 3,000,000 euros, the verification of 213 violations as well as the seizure of counterfeit currency, securities and certificates for 367,000 euros.
As part of the fight against organized crime, also aimed at identifying fictitious registrations of assets, 1 investigation was concluded which allowed 8 individuals to be reported to the Judicial Authority.
In application of anti-mafia legislation, 114 individuals were subjected to asset checks, which led to the application of seizure and confiscation measures for a value of over 786,000 euros.
Then, 684 checks were carried out following requests received from the Prefects of the Republic, most of which referred to checks functional to the release of anti-mafia documentation.
In the period under review, the Corps Departments seized gr. 29,338 of narcotic substances, mainly consisting of marijuana (22,228 grams), heroin (6,175 grams), hashish (534 grams) and cocaine (386 grams), reporting 29 subjects to the AG (of which 8 in a state of arrest) and reporting 100 of them to the Prefects. 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, 270 interventions were carried out, 21 powers of the Judicial Authority were developed and 87 subjects were reported. Following these activities, 2,750,000 counterfeit or non-compliant products with the provisions of the “Consumer Code” were seized. 2,604 kg of agri-food products were also seized.
Competition in public order and safety services
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”. The context also includes international events characterized by the simultaneous presence of numerous foreign authorities and, often, organized in places also overlooking coastal and port areas.
In this regard, worthy of mention is the contribution offered by the Guardia di Finanza within the Italian Presidency of the G7, relating to the meeting held in Savelletri di Fasano in Puglia, from 13 to 15 June 2024. For this event, a total of around 1,000 financiers, also coming from other departments of Italy, and over 60 naval and air units. In 2023 / 2024 the Guardia di Finanza spent a total of 13,561 man-days in public order services during demonstrations and events of various kinds.
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