The Greek financial crimes squad SDOE, following an investigation, is preparing to charge the Greece-based Carrefour-Marinopoulos group of dodging VAT payments in Greece via a fake invoice scam with businesses based in another EU country.

In an announcement the same day, Carrefour-Marinopoulos has denied the charges, stressing that all its dealings with its suppliers were in full compliance with the laws.

According to the findings of the SDOE investigation, the company Orbicom issued fake invoices to Carrefour-Marinopoulos SA supermarket chain in 2007 and 2008, for the supply of goods that never actually took place.

Tax authorities have confirmed the findings of the SDOE report and are now working in cooperation with Carrefour-Marinopoulos SA on the case. SDOE said Orbicom is no longer in operation and has already slapped fines and penalties amounting to 300 million euro on the company for tax evasion.

In an announcement, Carrefour-Marinopoulos SA denied wrongdoing and said that it daily processed thousands of invoices from its suppliers and invariably followed all legal procedures.

It termed its transactions with Orbicom "an unremarkable and quantitatively insignificant commercial collaboration" that was in full compliance with the laws.