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(Luxembourg, 6 October 2023) – At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo (Italy), the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate (Direzione Investigativa Antimafia) has seized assets of a farmer suspected of agricultural funding fraud and ties to organised crime.
The suspect, who owns a farmhouse and agricultural real estate in the province of Catania, has family ties to people convicted of mafia association. The investigation began after the Anti-Mafia Investigative Directorate carried out checks on a list of companies that were not allowed to receive public funds.
According to the evidence, the suspect falsified statements and declared ownership and possession of land that she did not own, in the province of Enna, in order to illegally obtain €245 000 in agricultural funds from the European Union, between 2016 and 2021.
During the execution of the freezing order, issued by the judge for preliminary investigations in Enna, gold watches and jewellery were seized, as well as bank accounts and a portion of the farm, to the amount of €245 000.
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.