At the end of January 2025, the Guardia di Finanza of Modena executed a preventive seizure order issued by the judge for preliminary investigations of the Modena Court, under the delegation of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (Eppo). The measure targeted a company based in Maranello, whose name has not been disclosed by investigators, operating in the sale of petroleum products, and its legal representative, suspected of fraudulent tax declarations through the use of invoices or other documents for non-existent transactions. The investigation covers tax years from 2016 to 2019 and has led to the seizure of assets worth approximately 14 million euros.
The inquiry originated from a tax audit conducted by the Economic and Financial Police Unit of Modena, which analysed the company's fuel purchases made at particularly advantageous prices through a network of intermediaries. Further investigations revealed that many of these entities exhibited characteristics typical of shell companies used for tax fraud, including the absence of operational premises, non-existent corporate structures, limited business activity over time, and failure to fulfil tax obligations.
Given the economic significance and transnational scope of the commercial operations, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office assumed coordination of the investigation, ordering further inquiries. These led to the identification of the intermediaries involved as shell companies (missing traders) and buffer firms, mechanisms through which large-scale VAT fraud was carried out. The scheme allowed the Maranello-based company to purchase petroleum products at prices lower than market rates, made possible only through tax evasion.
In October 2024, the Economic and Financial Police Unit of Modena carried out a search at the company's headquarters, discovering and seizing over 120,000 euros in cash hidden inside the legal representative's vehicle. Subsequently, under the order of the judge for preliminary investigations, movable and immovable assets, financial resources, and the entire corporate structure were seized, amounting to approximately five million euros. To ensure the continued operation of the seized company, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office requested the appointment of a judicial administrator, tasked with managing the company and its corporate shares to safeguard jobs and preserve the economic value of the business.
