(Luxembourg, 6 August 2025) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Vilnius (Lithuania) has filed an indictment with the Vilnius District Court against a Lithuanian citizen and an NGO, for subsidy fraud in connection with an EU-funded project aimed at providing mobile car repair and maintenance services in rural areas.
The case concerns a project worth over €150 000, financed under the Lithuanian Rural Development Programme 2014–2020 funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). Its aim was to support the delivery of innovative services in remote areas.
According to the indictment, the defendant is suspected of having collaborated with an accomplice to obtain the funds under false pretences. While the project was presented as aiming to establish mobile car services, the defendants allegedly used the equipment, including high-value vehicles and other specialised gear, for private purposes, specifically to support the suspect’s participation in motor racing events, including the Dakar Rally.
The investigation, led by the EPPO in cooperation with Lithuania’s Financial Crime Investigation Service (Finansinių nusikaltimų tyrimo tarnyba – FNTT), resulted in the recovery of over €150 000 in EU funds.
If found guilty, the defendants face penalties including a fine or imprisonment of up to four years.
All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Lithuanian 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.