Fugitive Romanian businessman charged with tax evasion found abroad

Romanian businessman Florian Walter, who fled the country after local prosecutors charged him with tax evasion, was located abroad, and authorities have asked for his extradition, reports local Agerpres.

The Prahova Court declared Florian Walter internationally wanted, after previously issuing an arrest warrant on his name.

Romanian authorities, which have not revealed Walter’s current location, are investigating him in a tax evasion case that damaged the state budget by EUR 4.5 million. He set up a criminal group of 23 people, which carried out tax evasion and money laundering activities between 2012 and 2014, according to prosecutors.

In May, Walter left the country by car and apparently went to Monaco where he withdrew the money from a local bank. Then he embarked on a plane to Cuba.

Florian Walter owns Romprest, one of the biggest public sanitation companies in Romania. Romprest came to public attention in June 2008 when it received a EUR 450 million contract for 25 years to pick up the garbage and clean up Bucharest’s District 1.