Arrests throughout Serbia; Major operation underway

Operations are being carried out, as reported by Tanjug, in order to detect crimes in the field of Environmental Crime.

The operation is carried out together with the competent prosecutor's offices and competent state and provincial inspections.

In a joint operation by inspectors of the Tax Police Sector, the Belgrade Operative Department and the Ministry of Internal Affairs - Economic Crime Suppression Department, on the order of the Third Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, three people from Pancevo were arrested on suspicion of having committed the crime of tax fraud in connection with value added tax, which damaged the budget of the Republic of Serbia in the amount of more than 20 million dinars.

"Two suspects, one in the capacity of the founder and responsible person of one business company and the other in the capacity of the person who actually managed another business company, with the intention of obtaining an unjustified VAT refund, organized the establishment or takeover of already established business companies and, jointly with six persons, formally responsible persons in those business companies, obtained qualified electronic certificates through which, in the period from March 1 to December 10, 2024, they submitted false VAT returns. In this way, they claimed an unfounded refund of the previous value added tax in the amount of 20,435,839 dinars," the prosecutor's office said.

The suspects were detained by the police for 48 hours and they will be prosecuted with a joint criminal report to the competent Third Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade.

The investigation into this case is ongoing, and more details will be announced after the interrogation of the suspects.