If you a writer, director, filmmaker, producer or podcaster, have you considered making the EPPO one of your story’s characters?
Every year, our prosecutors and investigators (in close cooperation with national authorities) uncover hidden money trails, expose complex financial fraud schemes, and crack down on criminal organisations. These are real stories waiting to be told.
If you are interested in telling stories (fiction or non-fiction) about financial crimes, cross border investigations or organised crime, with an EU dimension we invite you to reach out. The EPPO is the first transnational prosecution office in the world and a unique and powerful institution in the EU's justice landscape.
Below you will find resources, ideas and inspiration for your project and more information on how to get in touch with us.
What we can do for you
- Expert input: Get a look behind the scenes of Europe’s first transnational prosecution office. Meet one of our prosecutors or speak to one of our specialised investigators and learn more about our mission and how we operate.
- Creative consultation: We are open to reviewing scripts involving the EPPO.
- Q&A with our team: Send us your questions and we will get back to you.
Ideas Bank
Poland: Food aid fraud investigation
A religious group is suspected of diverting 2 500 tonnes of EU-funded food aid meant for refugees and the homeless, fraudulently selling it for profit in Poland and abroad. The suspects allegedly forged signatures and produced fake documents to justify subsidies, while lacking the infrastructure required to store and distribute the aid.
Greece: 23 charged over railway contracts
Public officials and contractors allegedly manipulated an EU-funded project to modernise Greece’s rail signalling. The modernisation project included the section of the Athens-Thessaloniki route near Tempe where a fatal collission occurred in February 2023. The project has still not been completed, more than 9 years after the contract was signed.
Investigation Supernova : €100M VAT fraud
Criminal groups allegedly traded smartphones and other electronics across EU borders to exploit VAT exemptions. During the searches, investigators found boxes filled with stones instead of devices. It is believed that this was done to simulate cross-border transactions and justify fraudulent VAT reimbursements.
Investigation Moby Dick: €520M VAT fraud
Mafia clans allegedly invested in a vast criminal syndicate that used missing traders to issue fake invoices and reclaim VAT on non-existent cross-border sales. Between 2020 and 2023, the syndicate issued invoices for the sales of airpods, laptops and other electronic goods of more than €1.3 billion.
Investigation Nimmersatt: hazardous car smuggling
A criminal organisation is believed to have imported thousands of wrecked cars from the US, disguised their true value with false invoices, and evaded customs duties and VAT. According to the investigation, the cars were only superficially repaired in Lithuania and sold across Europe as safe, despite hidden damage, creating both financial fraud and serious road safety risks.
Investigation Goliath: €85M VAT fraud
Suspects are believed to have sold electronics, mainly AirPods, through a fraudulent chain of missing traders - companies which would vanish without fulfilling their tax obligations. During the searches, 1.800 AirPods were seized, as well as cash, two luxury cars (a Lamborghini and a Porsche), worth a collective €550 000, and a luxury watch, worth €907 000. A jammer which was used to scramble communication was also confiscated during the searches.
Resources
Contact us
If your project mentions the EPPO we would love to hear from you.
Contact us via the contact form available on our website. Select the media request category to tell us about your project.
We look forward to hearing from you!