Image
Published on
(Luxembourg, 28 November 2023) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Sofia (Bulgaria) carried out searches on 23 November 2023, in an investigation into potential misuse of EU funds, involving a project for the repair and reconstruction of a municipal road network in the Boychinovtsi Municipality.
The searches were carried out at multiple locations in Bulgaria, including at the premises of companies involved in the construction activities, as well as administrative offices belonging to the Municipality of Boychinovtsi. Numerous documents were seized and witnesses were interviewed.
According to the investigation, on 9 July 2019, the Municipality of Boychinovtsi signed a contract for financial assistance with Bulgaria’s State Fund for Agriculture, related to the execution of the project, for an amount of €2.6 million (BGN 5 098 290 76), under the EU’s Rural Development Programme 2014–2020.
The contract established that the deadline for using the funds, and for submitting the request for the final payment, was 36 months from the date of its signature. The deadline has since been extended several times, but as of today, there is no evidence that the contracted activities have been completed, or that the project has been concluded.
The investigation, which is carried out with the support of Bulgaria’s General Directorate – National Police (ГДНП), is still ongoing, in order to ascertain the nature and extent of the suspected criminal activities.
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.