DIICOT searches at Oil Terminal and Constanța Customs, in a diesel fuel tax evasion case

DIICOT conducted 46 searches on Thursday in Bucharest and the counties of Constanța, Bacău, Prahova, Galați, and Ilfov, including at Oil Terminal, in a case targeting the formation of an organized criminal group, tax evasion, illegally obtaining funds, fraud, rigging public tenders, and abuse of office.

According to prosecutors, the group allegedly formed in 2023 around four suspects and allegedly controlled several companies through nominal administrators. Between December 2023 and August 2025, a company undergoing insolvency allegedly issued more than 340 invoices for fictitious diesel deliveries worth over 208 million lei. The estimated VAT loss is approximately 33.3 million lei.

Investigators claim that seven companies illegally obtained loans worth more than 41 million lei through the IMM Invest and IMM Invest Plus programs, with the assistance of bank employees. Another mechanism allegedly enabled the unlawful deferral of excise duties and VAT on imports, amounting to approximately 238.6 million lei, generating interest and penalties of more than 25 million lei.

Those targeted allegedly include Oil Terminal’s commercial director, a senior official from CEC Bank, and a former head of the Constanța Border Customs Office. Interviews are being conducted at DIICOT’s headquarters. All individuals under investigation benefit from the presumption of innocence.