(Luxembourg, 20 February 2026) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Ljubljana (Slovenia) has filed an indictment in the District Court in Ptuj against two individuals, accused of forging public documents to fraudulently obtain EU agricultural funds, aimed at supporting farm modernisation.
At issue are funds to build a new barn and to purchase equipment, co-financed up to 75% by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), under the measure "Support for Investment in Agricultural Holdings".
According to the investigation, one of the suspects submitted a forged building occupancy permit, ostensibly issued by public authorities, to the Agency for Agricultural Markets and Rural development (Agencija Republike Slovenije za kmetijske trge in razvoj podeželja), responsible for managing and paying agricultural funds. The forged document was necessary to obtain the payment of the funds.
Based on the evidence, the document was forged with the help of the other defendant, who provided templates of the official permits, knowing that the forged document would then be used for fraudulently obtaining public funds – thus misleading the paying agency. The fraudulent conduct caused a damage of approximately €95 000 to the EU and the State of Slovenia.
If found guilty, the defendants face one to eight years’ imprisonment for subsidy fraud and up to three years for forgery.
All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Slovenian 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.