(Luxembourg, 12 September 2023) – On 1 September 2023, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) filed an indictment in the Riga City Court (Latvia) against two individuals and one company, for fraud involving a project for the reconstruction of drainage systems, co-funded by the EU.
The beneficiaries of the funding and their accomplices are accused of unlawfully obtaining over €95 000 in EU funds. According to the evidence, the procurement procedure was rigged, so that the contract was awarded to a company that had been previously selected. The winner of the procedure and the beneficiary of the funds are accused of conspiring to obtain this result, by setting the lowest price, while knowing that the works could not be performed for the amount and with the quality specified in the offer.
If found guilty, the accused face between two and ten years in prison, as well as possible confiscation of property.
All persons concerned are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in the competent Latvian 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.