European fraud detectives said Tuesday they would demand around 50 million euros of dodged trade taxes from clothing companies accused of falsely claiming duty-free Bangladeshi origin.
A three-year investigation by the European Anti-Fraud Office showed that "fraudsters aimed to evade European Union import duties on textile consignments originating in the far east, mainly in China," according to a statement.
"Forged or unduly obtained certificates ... falsely showing Bangladesh as the country of origin gave the importers of the textiles, in particular T-shirts and jeans, unrestricted and duty-free access" to European markets, it added.
"Thousands of documents" seized during the probe "were found to be forged by third parties," and the EU's anti-fraud squad as well as the relevant member states will now issue "recovery orders" for sums worth 71.5 million dollars.
