The 51-year-old, who holds dual Polish-Ukrainian citizenship, used a fake passport in the name of his fabricated sibling to dodge arrest while masterminding a VAT fraud scheme from 2013 to 2014.

According to police, he was part of a gang that issued fake invoices for clothing purchases worth over 10 million złoty (€2.33 million), routing the goods to fictitious Ukrainian companies.

By doing so, they slashed their tax liabilities, defrauding the state of more than €470,000.

The man’s second identity finally unraveled when police noticed him spending time with a woman he claimed was his “twin brother’s” wife.

A fingerprint analysis confirmed his true identity, ending his decade-plus run as a phantom fugitive.

The Katowice District Prosecutor’s Office has now charged four people in connection with the scheme, including the suspect, his 50-year-old wife, a 48-year-old Vietnamese national, and a 47-year-old Polish accomplice.

Together, they face 11 charges, ranging from forgery and tax evasion to money laundering.

Police say the group laundered their ill-gotten gains through fake bank transactions to obscure the funds’ shady origins.

If convicted, the four could be sentenced to up to 15 years behind bars.