(Luxembourg, 14 August 2025) - Ten searches were conducted yesterday and four individuals were detained in a criminal investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Lithuania, and carried out by the Financial Crime Investigation Service (Finansinių nusikaltimų tyrimo tarnyba – FNTT), into an alleged €136 000 fraud involving EU rural development funds.
The ongoing investigation concerns suspected subsidy fraud and forgery of documents, in which a company is alleged to have deceptively obtained €136 000 from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). The case also involves suspicions of bribery and indications that the offences may have been committed by an organised group.
Yesterday, in order to collect evidence relevant to the investigation, FNTT officers carried out at least 10 searches in Vilnius, Klaipeda and other regions, targeting suspects’ residences, business premises, and vehicles. Documents and other items were seized.
Four individuals were detained during the searches. They have been informed of the suspicions against them, and the competent authorities are considering the imposition of precautionary measures.
Further information will be made available to the public and the media in due course, without compromising the ongoing investigation.
All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Lithuanian courts of law.
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.