Polish authorities have helped uncover a sanctions-busting scheme that illegally sent more than 760 vehicles from Europe to Russia, the EU’s anti-fraud body has said.
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) said in a statement on Monday that it had carried out a “complex cross-border investigation” in response to suspicions that vehicles declared as exports to other countries were in reality being sent to Russia.
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The office said it launched its probe after Polish authorities identified “suspicious exports of used vehicles from several EU Member States.”
“Although the vehicles were declared as destined for [Turkey], evidence gathered by Polish customs suggested that their actual destination was Russia,” it added.
The body said it cross-checked customs, trade and transport information and found “a broader scheme involving multiple exporters in the EU.”
A total of 766 transport vehicles said to be destined for importers in countries including Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Moldova never arrived at their declared destinations, OLAF said, adding that authorities in those countries cooperated with the investigation.
“By tracking each vehicle individually, OLAF reconstructed the logistics chain and ultimately located the vehicles in Russia, confirming the suspected circumvention of EU sanctions,” it said.
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‘Shadow Post’: Sanctioned Goods ‘Illegally’ Sent to Russia via Poland
The EU placed sanctions on a variety of goods being sent to Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine in an effort to put pressure on Moscow’s economy.
The organization said the findings led to criminal investigations in three EU member states, without specifying which ones, adding that authorities have taken measures to try to prevent future shipments from bypassing sanctions.
According to OLAF, evidence gathered by Polish customs suggest the actual destination of shipped vehicles was Russia. (Konstantin Zavrazhin/Getty Images)
Russian attempts to avoid sanctions
Acting Director-General of OLAF Salla Saastamoinen said in a statement: “Sanctions circumvention undermines the effectiveness of the European Union’s restrictive measures.
“This investigation demonstrates how cooperation with Member States and third-country authorities enables OLAF to uncover complex cross-border schemes and protect the integrity of EU sanctions,” Saastamoinen added.
There have been numerous reported cases of attempts to evade international sanctions placed on Russia in response to its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
An investigation by German tabloid Bild published on Sunday alleged that an illegal “shadow post” was being used to circumvent sanctions and send banned goods to Russia from Germany via Poland.