They gave money, even thousands of euros. They didn't receive the fixtures. And now they risk criminal prosecution for fraud against the state.
Adding insult to injury, consumers who, according to a complaint from Adiconsum, were defrauded by a Cagliari-based company specializing in window and door frames. And there are many of them.
Behind the complaints about missing supplies and endless waiting times, Adiconsum's lawyers discovered the company's legitimate request and transfer of the tax credit (derived from construction incentives). In other words, even though the work was never carried out, the company was able to collect the government incentive, and consumers formally qualify for a tax deduction for work that never took place. This situation, according to the law, may constitute a criminal offense.
The association's lawyer, Fabio Bistrussu, clarifies that there is no doubt that "the recognition of tax credits for work never carried out and, therefore, documented by false invoices, constitutes the crime of aggravated fraud," as recently reaffirmed by the Court of Cassation.
It is therefore essential to "exert caution by reporting the crime to the Public Prosecutor's Office in order to highlight the absence of complicity in the crime by way of accessory and one's position as a victim of the crime."
"It's a paradoxical and extremely serious situation: citizens who have already paid out of their own pockets now risk being investigated," says Simone Girau, president of Adiconsum Cagliari.
In many cases, the contracts date back one or two years. Initially, the company promised delivery dates that were consistently missed; after Adiconsum's intervention, the responses turned into statements about the company's "financial hardship," with no concrete commitments.
The reports are coming not only from the Cagliari metropolitan area, but also from northern Sardinia and even beyond the Tyrrhenian Sea, confirming a widespread and potentially systemic phenomenon.
Adiconsum has already filed precautionary complaints against the citizens involved and is preparing a report to the Italian Competition Authority.
«But be careful, we could open a real Pandora's box: we invite all citizens who have benefited from tax bonuses in other areas such as photovoltaics or air conditioning not to remain silent and to contact us immediately», adds Girau.
(Unioneonline/E.Fr.)
