On Wednesday, the 30th of May 2018, Romanian prosecutors executed 23 search warrants across the country related to a criminal investigation into the Austrian timber giant Holzindustrie Schweighofer.
Investigators have estimated a damage of about 25 million euros as the Austrian company was accused of having bought wood without any endorsements or with fake records from 2011 until now, and exported it.
The investigation took place in Bucharest and in the counties of Brasov, Alba, Suceava, Hunedoara and Bihor. The DIICOT investigation concerns the destruction of an organized criminal group, specialized in committing offenses of misappropriation of public auctions, tax evasion, unfair competition, tree-cutting and other offenses under the jurisdiction of this Prosecutor's Office.
Holzindustrie Schweighofer, the largest timber processor in Romania, has been active in the country since 2002, over a period when the Romanian government estimated that a large portion of all logging was illegal.
A report issued by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in 2016 also found clear and compelling evidence of illegal activity, resulting in Schweighofer losing its FSC certification.