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Taxi drivers turned into managers to receive EU funds for leadership training – two convictions for subsidy fraud in Czechia

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On 18 May 2023, one person and one company were found guilty by the High Court in Prague (Czechia) of subsidy fraud and causing damage to the EU’s financial interests.

An investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in České Budějovice (Czechia) revealed that in 2017, the convicted person and her company claimed to be providing soft skills leadership training for managers, and had received up to €70 800 (CZK 1 700 000) in EU funds for it. However, the investigation proved that the majority of the documented participants were not managers, but taxi drivers, who had never attended any training session.

The company owner was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment with a probationary period of four years and a financial penalty of €8 500. The company was prohibited from applying for and receiving subsidies for a period of six years.

The indictment was submitted by the EPPO in July 2022 and the judgment of the Regional Court in Ústí nad Labem (Czechia) was issued in February 2023. An appeal by the defendant was dismissed by the High Court in Prague.

The investigation was greatly supported by the Regional Police Directorate of the Ústí nad Labem Region.