Two tradesmen have been convicted of money laundering by the Court in Glostrup, marking the first ruling in a series of test cases initiated by the National Unit for Special Crime (NSK). The case, part of a larger complex known as “Outpay,” aimed to clarify whether tradesmen who purchased fictitious invoices from invoice factories are guilty of self-laundering.

The court found that the two men, from a construction company in Herlev, paid approximately DKK 3 million for 20 invoices and subsequently received cash to pay for undeclared work. The court determined that no actual services were provided for the invoices, confirming it as a case of self-laundering, and also convicted the men of VAT fraud for DKK 585,000.

The defense argued against what they described as a new state of law, citing a lack of evidence and criticizing the prosecution’s approach. Despite pleading not guilty, the men, aged 42 and 46, were sentenced to one year and three months in prison, conditionally suspended due to the lengthy case processing time. They will instead perform 200 hours of community service.

The “Outpay” complex involves several individuals already convicted of laundering a total of DKK 350 million through companies like CCS Group, Uniqueva, and RR Staffers, which issued false invoices on a large scale. The NSK’s investigation revealed over 700 customers involved in the scheme.

Three other selected cases against customers of the invoice factories, referred to as A-companies, are scheduled to be decided in the autumn and early winter. These cases involve charges related to 45, 42, and 16 fictitious invoices, respectively.