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Duesseldorf / Germany, defense attorney - detention successfully avoided - suspended sentence in coffee tax proceedings legally binding
12 January 2016 – The accusation: 1.8 million kilos of coffee imported, fake invoices and fictitious delivery chains, numerous cases of allegded tax evasion, the figures sound incredible. The ruling of the Regional Court in Kleve (190 Kls 4/14) against our client is set: suspended sentence of two years. The ruling has now become final and absolute and legally binding.
Prior to the trial at the Regional Court in Kleve the “Rheinische Post” newspaper commented: “They are alleged to have smuggled trucks full of coffee over the borders in order to avoid the high coffee taxes – now five accused smugglers await trial in Kleve. … … The public prosecutor is charging them with almost 90 crimes. Between October 2009 and November 2010 they are accused of transporting 1.300 tons of coffee over the border and also of having purchased untaxed coffee in Germany. … They supposedly brought up to 24 tons of coffee per delivery truck over the border and then handed over the untaxed goods to dealers. Their tracks led to various organizations and companies, based in Hamburg and Moers to name but a few locations. The gang is alleged to have faked delivery chains and interlinked various organisations. Consequently, not only was there an evasion of four million Euros in tax, but also a million Euros in VAT. The alleged criminals supposedly committed this huge fraud in part together as a gang but also at varied levels of participation”. The ruling of the Regional Court in Kleve (190 Kls 4/14) reduced the allegations considerably against our client.