This morning, 21 April 2023, the Carabinieri of Palermo (Italy) executed restrictive measures of house arrests against three suspects, issued by the judge for preliminary investigations of the Court of Palermo. This is based on the findings of an investigation into embezzlement and corruption, led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo.

Last Thursday, 13 April 2023, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Ljubljana (Slovenia) sent an indictment to the District Court in Celje. The two suspects are alleged to have caused estimated damages of almost €648 000 to the EU and national budgets by fraudulently obtaining funds to finance projects for long-term social activation and labour market insertion programmes.

On 5 April 2023, two individuals were convicted by the Zemgale District Court in Riga (Latvia), following an indictment by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) for fraud involving EU agricultural funds, filed on 10 March 2023.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo (Italy) seized over €320 000 in assets and real estate, in an investigation, carried out in Calabria, into fraud involving agricultural funding.

On 30 March 2023, two individuals and one company were convicted by the Specialised Criminal Court in Slovakia of VAT and EU fund fraud committed between 2017-2018, following an indictment by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) regarding overevaluation of machinery to obtain EU funds.

On 4 April 2023, in a case investigated and prosecuted by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Milan (Italy), a judge of the Tribunal of Brescia convicted a public official of corruption.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has initiated an investigation against five Croatian citizens and one company for criminal offences of abuse of office and authority, as well as aiding and abetting the abuse of office and authority. Among the suspects are two officials of the City of Rijeka (Croatia), as well as the person responsible for the company under investigation, for which undue pecuniary gain is believed to have been obtained.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Iași (Romania) is carrying out eight searches today, 4 April 2023, including at the headquarters of the Siret Customs Office and the residences of customs officials, in an investigation into a customs fraud scheme orchestrated to evade the payment of taxes and custom duties on imported tobacco.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), in cooperation with Croatia’s National Police Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (Policijski nacionalni Ured za suzbijanje korupcije i organiziranog kriminaliteta), arrested five individuals in Croatia today, 4 April 2023, on suspicion of abuse of office and authority, committed to the detriment of the EU’s Cohesion Fund.

Last week (28 March 2023), a German court (Landgericht Landshut) convicted two out of ten suspects of organising a VAT carousel fraud scheme involving luxury cars. This follows an earlier conviction of five of the ten suspects in 2022.