E87: This VAT loophole is funding criminal empires

The most dramatic criminal actions can often be hidden behind the dullest of language.

'VAT Refunds’ is unlikely to have your pulse racing – but hidden within this is a financial loophole taking money from the European Union and putting directly into the hands of drug traffickers, terrorists, and criminal gangs. 

Our expert host, Marit Rødevand,  is joined by Jerker Asplund, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Ekobrottsmyndigheten (Sweden's financial crime authority) to talk about the VAT loophole which is being used to attack the state.

The pair discuss: the rise of this specific fraud, how it is taking billions from the Swedish and EU economy, and what compliance specialists should be looking out for!

Producer: Matthew Dunne-Miles

Engineers: Dominic Delargy, Nicholas Thon

VAT explainer from iCalculator.

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The Laundry podcast: Dive deep into the intricacies of financial crime, AML (anti-money laundering), compliance, sanctions, and the ever-evolving landscape of financial regulation.

Hosted by Marit Rødevand and Fredrik Riiser – this podcast features renowned experts from banking, fintech, compliance, and investigative journalism.

Together, they shed light on the industry's trending topics, analyse mainstream news through a compliance-focused lens, and connect the fight against financial crime to its real-world consequences and ramifications.

The Laundry is proudly produced by Strise, the AML Automation Cloud.

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