Last Thursday (9 March 2023), following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Bucharest, three suspects were caught in the act when receiving around €70 000 (RON 350 000) in cash as part of the profit of their supposed fraud. On that same date, 10 house searches were carried out in five counties of Romania, to gather more evidence about the three suspects and their respective companies.

Today, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Riga (Latvia) referred a criminal case to court, in which two persons were indicted for fraud involving EU agricultural funds.

As part of an investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Lisbon (Portugal), the Portuguese Judiciary Police (Polícia Judiciária) is carrying out searches today in the municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz, on suspicion of fraud involving EU funds to the amount of €880 000.

Meetings like this one help shape a common understanding of the situation. Our Ukrainian friends have the necessary willpower, but the strength of their resistance to the Russian aggression depends widely on our support.

I am here to take a stand, with you, against the new avatar of radical evil.

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo (Italy), the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) have executed a seizure order on Wednesday, 1 March, against a farmer suspected of fraud involving agricultural funds, with estimated damages of €600 000.

Two suspects – an employee of the Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovations and Investments (HAMAG BICRO) and the owner of a graphic design business – have been indicted for unlawful favouritism and incitement to unlawful favouritism, following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Zagreb.

The Annual Report for the activities of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in 2022 shows a clear focus on EU fraud affecting public revenue, in particular cross-border VAT fraud. By the end of 2022, the EPPO had 1117 active investigations with overall estimated damages of €14.1 billion, nearly half of which (47%) resulted from VAT fraud.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Sofia (Bulgaria) is today carrying out dozens of searches and investigative measures, in a probe into possible fraud regarding the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), with losses of millions of euro to the EU and national budgets.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Milan (Italy) has executed a seizure of more than €170 000 against Ms Stefania Zambelli, Member of the European Parliament (MEP), and four of her assistants, as part of an investigation into possible fraud involving parliamentary allowances.

Following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Frankfurt am Main (Germany), two suspects were convicted last week (15 February 2023) by the Frankfurt Regional Court (Landgericht Frankfurt) of VAT fraud. One of the two accused was sentenced to 5 years and 9 months of imprisonment, and the other was sentenced to two years on probation.