Italy: Assets worth €2.8 million frozen in EU funding fraud investigation

Luxembourg (21 March 2024) – At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Venice (Italy), a freezing order of over €2.8 million, issued by the judge for preliminary investigations of the Court of Treviso, was executed today against four people suspected of fraud involving EU agricultural funding aimed at supporting young farmers. 

Money, real estate and funds received from the Italian Agricultural Payments Agency (AGEA) and financed by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) were seized by the Carabinieri Agri-food Protection Department of Parma (Reparto Carabinieri per la Tutela Agroalimentare di Parma). A personal precautionary measure was executed against the main suspect, who is not allowed to leave his municipality.

According to the investigation, the fraudulent activity involved setting up farms in the name of individuals who did not meet the necessary criteria to apply for agricultural subsidies for young farmers. It is believed that they then transferred the ownership of the farms to younger individuals, in order to apply for subsidies, falsely claiming eligibility for agricultural funds without proper authorisation. 

Based on the evidence, the suspects also took advantage of higher payments intended for young farmers. It is alleged that this elaborate scheme aimed to maximise financial gain by obtaining large mountainous lands and exaggerating the size of livestock populations beyond reality, to be able to receive higher amounts in subsidies.

Between 2017 and 2022, the suspects obtained over €2.8 million in EU subsidies funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF), managed by several regional Italian payment agencies. 

All persons concerned are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in the competent Italian 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.