Poland fines company USD 5.5 million for supplying luxury cars to russia

Polish tax authorities have imposed a fine of PLN 20 million - about USD 5.5 million - on a local company that supplied premium cars to russia in circumvention of EU sanctions, Bloomberg reports.

How did the scheme work?

The company, run by Belarusian citizens and operating in southeastern Poland, purchased luxury cars in Western European countries in 2022-2023, then shipped them to russia via Poland, Lithuania and Belarus.

The investigation found that about 100 cars of the BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Lamborghini, Porsche and Bentley brands were illegally exported. The total value of the supplies exceeded PLN 49 million (almost USD 14 million).

The Polish tax service called this case one of the largest sanctions evasion schemes discovered in the country.

As previously reported, the largest car manufacturer in russia has reduced its working week for half a year due to a collapse in sales.