Major Solar Module Fraud Probe: €30M in Alleged Duty Evasion
A Nuremberg-based company is at the centre of a major investigation involving alleged duty evasion on solar module imports from China. The company is suspected of evading over €30 million in anti-dumping and countervailing duties between November 2013 and November 2016. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is also looking into the matter.
The company is accused of importing solar modules from China using false pretenses or by circumventing regulations. The modules were then supplied to energy and solar parks throughout Germany and other European countries. To conceal payment streams, a complex network of shell and letterbox companies in Luxembourg and Hong Kong was allegedly used.
Investigators have identified two possible fraud variants. One involves transshipments through a third country, while the other centres around manipulation of the minimum import price regulation. Over 150 import transactions are under scrutiny. As of October 2025, no specific Chinese company has been officially named in the investigations.
Seven suspects, aged 41 to 56 and of Chinese and German nationality, are involved in the alleged tax evasion. The EU has been imposing anti-dumping and countervailing duties on solar module imports from China since June 2013. The ongoing investigations aim to shed light on the alleged manipulation of the minimum import price regulation and the role of the suspected companies.
