Officers from the Economic Crime Division of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław spent many months investigating an organized criminal group involved in defrauding subsidies from various institutions managing funds from the so-called Anti-Crisis Shield. – The arduous and meticulous operational work produced the expected result: a thorough understanding of the criminal scheme, the arrest of the group’s leader and its members, and the securing of extensive evidence – reports junior aspirant Przemysław Ratajczyk from the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław.
He adds:
The findings made by the officers show that members of the group applied for financial subsidies under the so-called Anti-Crisis Shield, using economically and personally linked business entities that did not conduct genuine business activity, fictitiously employed workers, or employed the same person in several or more than a dozen entities. In this way, nearly PLN 6 million was defrauded, although the amount may still increase due to the ongoing activities and further findings in the case.
On June 23, officers who deal with combating economic crime on a daily basis at the Lower Silesian Provincial Headquarters, supported by colleagues from the Investigative Division of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław and the Economic Crime Division of the Wrocław Municipal Police Headquarters, entered several offices and apartments in Lower Silesia and Greater Poland.
During the operation, 11 people were arrested, including the mastermind behind the entire criminal enterprise – a 43-year-old man who had previously been recorded in connection with economic crimes.
The spokesperson said: – The offices serving as the registered headquarters of the entities used in the criminal scheme were also searched. Substantial amounts of documentation, data carriers, computers and SIM cards were secured. The officers also seized property in the form of cash amounting to more than PLN 300,000. In addition, psychotropic substances were found on one of the detainees.
The detainees have already been charged with participation in an organized criminal group, defrauding money of considerable value, and money laundering. One person will also be held responsible for organizing and leading an organized criminal group. Applications for temporary detention were submitted to the court for five suspects.
Further proceedings in the case are currently underway. Further arrests cannot be ruled out.