DIICOT conducts searches in relation to Petrolul Ploiesti football club

Prosecutors of the Organised Crime and Terrorism Investigation Directorate (DIICOT) are conducting today several searches of addresses in the counties of Constanta, Prahova, Buzau, Salaj, Giurgiu, Braila and Bucharest City in a case of tax evasion and money laundering. The searches also regard managers of the Petrolul Ploiesti football club.

DIICOT reports in a press release that managers of Fotbal Club Petrolul SA Ploiesti in 2012 started up an organised crime ring joined by others in order to create crime links that favour the companies managed by the ring members, more precisely the takeover and funding of the club.

Thus, fictitious business operations were conducted by issuing fictitious documents and invoices for Value-Added Tax deductions and diminishing the tax base in relation to the income tax.

At the same time, in order to create inexistent trade relations between the companies involved in the crimes and the club, various services and good deliveries were billed, with the amounts thus obtained having been taken over by the ring members in order to take over and fund the club through successive crediting.

The damage is estimated at 15,400,000 euros.

As many as 30 people will be brought in at the local office in Ploiesti of DIICOT for testimonies. The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) provides specialist support for the case.

The action is being jointly conducted with judiciary police officers of the Ploiesti, Bucharest and Constanta brigades tasked with fighting against organised crime, and the Buzau service tasked with fighting against organised crime, with support from the Matei Basarab Mobile Gendarmerie of Ploiesti. AGERPRES