(Luxembourg, 29 January 2026) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Milan (Italy) has requested to the judge at the Court of Milan a precautionary measure prohibiting a large international consultancy company from contracting with the Region of Lombardy (Regione di Lombardia).
Evidence suggests that the consultancy company was unlawfully awarded at least 15 tenders by the Region of Lombardy – for a total value of approximately €15 million - for services related to the management of funds financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The tenders were awarded and paid from 2018 to 2025.
So far eight individuals, managers and employees of the company, are under investigation for bid rigging and procurement fraud.
The investigation uncovered a suspected fraud scheme linked to the awarding and execution of the contracts, which required the bidder to deploy work teams composed of personnel with specific skills and seniority levels. To meet these requirements, the company allegedly deliberately included senior, high-ranking professionals in the declared teams, despite evidence showing that these individuals either never performed the services or worked only a negligible number of hours. To secure payment, the company then submitted periodic reports to the Region of Lombardy containing only general information falsely representing that all listed team members had fully carried out their assigned activities.
The EPPO has now requested to the judge in Milan a precautionary measure prohibiting the consultancy company from contracting with the Region of Lombardy. Today, the company under investigation has paid €3 million to the Region of Lombardy, as part of a neutral escrow account totalling €6.8 million, equal to the sum of money they had already received for these contracts.
All persons involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty before the competent Italian courts.
The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.