An accountant, with a luxury car, pinned for fraud in Côtes-d’Armor

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“French regulations allow so-called 'commercial' company vehicles, i.e. two seats, equipped with a rear seat immobilization kit, to benefit from a certain number of tax advantages such as no -payment of the ecological penalty, non-payment of tax on company vehicles or even recovery of VAT. This configuration is generally found on small vehicles commonly called 'commercial cars'. Certain business leaders circumvent this regulation and make the administration believe that large vehicles, often luxurious, are in this commercial configuration,” introduces Lieutenant-Colonel Laurent Kerdoncuff, second group commander of the gendarmerie group of Côtes-d'Armorthrough a press release.

47,384 euros saved

On November 23, 2022, soldiers from the Saint-Brieuc motorized platoon checked a Mercedes GLE car.

During the check, they noticed that the vehicle was not in the declared configuration, namely two seats, but that it had 5 seats.

The investigations carried out in conjunction with the Control and Research Brigade of the Departmental Directorate of Public Finances of Côtes d'Armor make it possible to highlight that the vehicle was in this configuration all the time, thus preventing the company manager from having to pay €47,384 in taxes since its entry into circulation.

Fake invoice

During the investigation, an invoice from a bodybuilder dating from a few days before the inspection was provided in an attempt to prove that the vehicle had just been returned to a 5-seater configuration. The court ruled that this invoice was a fake, produced by the bodybuilder at the request of the accountant.

During the collective hearing at the Saint-Brieuc judicial court on October 24, 2024, the business manager, a chartered accountant, tried to defend himself by explaining that the invoice was real and that the vehicle had been returned to configuration 5 seats for a supposed buyer who ultimately never bought the vehicle.

Found guilty of aggravated fraud and use of false documents, the business manager was sentenced to 8 months' suspended imprisonment and a fine of €10,000.

His company was fined €20,000 as well as the confiscation of €47,384 seized during the investigation.

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