Investigators are carrying out 53 searches in Bucharest and other 22 counties on Thursday in a tax evasion file in the field of waste oils management, where prejudice is allegedly mounting to EUR 29 million. Judicial sources told TV channels that documents are being seized from the representations of Mercedes in Voluntari and of Toyota in Pipera.
In retort, the representatives of Toyota Romania said in a press release they had promptly provided all the requested documents to the investigators.
„As a result of the requests from the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Highest Court of Cassation and Justice, Toyota Romania provided, with promptitude and good faith, all the requested documents to the criminal investigation authorities.
In the relationship with the Environmental Fund Administration the declarations and payment obligations were genuinely accomplished without questioning the credibility and legitimacy of waste oil management operations. Hence, we will always respond rapidly and transparently to the requests from authorities,” says the Toyota press release.
Searches are conducted in Bucharest, as well as in Arad, Argeş, Bacău, Bihor, Buzău, Călăraşi, Cluj, Constanţa, Dâmboviţa, Hunedoara, Ialomiţa, Iaşi, Ilfov, Galaţi, Mureş, Olt, Prahova, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timiş and Vrancea counties, at the offices of 17 private companies which were involved in collecting, checking and cutting waste oils and which issued certificates of managing these oils.
The searches are carried out by the policemen from the Economic Criminality Direction, under the coordination of the General Prosecutor’s Office.
Documents from 44 companies that imported industrial oils are being seized. These companies would have benefitted of such certificates released by the companies involved in the oils’ collecting, checking and removing activity.
Investigations revealed that some economic agents who introduced industrial oils on the domestic market would have registered fictitious operation in the account books and in other legal documents, which certified the obligations on the waste oils management had been fulfilled, which was not true.
This way, the importers would have avoided paying the tax of RON 2 per liter to the Environment Fund, in force during January 1, 2011-December 31, 2013.
The prejudice caused to the Environment Fund is about EUR 29 million.