Malta flights under surveillance by Italian tax police in bid to stop undeclared cash exports

Italy's tax police (Guardia di Finanza) have stepped up their controls on passengers leaving Milan and Rome airports to destinations such as Malta and Switzerland, to stop large sums of money currently being exported out of the country to evade new stringent taxation and fiscal controls intended to recover billions of undeclared wealth to counter an ailing economy.

According to the Guardia di Finanza searches in passengers luggages at Milan's Malpensa and Rome's Fiumicino airport over the past weeks, have yielded what has been described as "record" seizures of undeclared cash which was to be transferred to overseas accounts.

The searches are said to be intensive, and do not only involve Italian nationals.

Some Maltese nationals are said to have filed complaints with the authorities for the searches they were submitted to.

Italian authorities consider Malta as one of the countries where many businesses are currently transferring their legal addresses to in a bid to avoid newly-introduced fiscal controls.

The new interim government in Rome led by economist Mario Monti has declared war on tax evasion across the nation, and has instructed the Guardia di Finanza to investigate every suspicion of evasion or avoidance.

€5 million in cash have been so far confiscated at Milan and Rome airports since the end of October, when news about Italy's dire economic situation started to emerge.

Besides luggages, cash is being discovered hidden inside passengers clothing and underwear.

All Guardia di Finanza stations have been beefed up with more personnel and sniffer dogs, who also detect money besides narcotics.