The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Madrid (Spain) has indicted 36 individuals and five companies, accused of forming a criminal organisation responsible for a €24.3 million VAT fraud scheme involving the trade of mobile phones and other electronic devices. The indictments follow an investigation code-named 'Marengo Rosso', which stretched across eight countries.

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Katowice (Poland), the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (Centralne Biuro Antykorupcyjne – CBA) carried out searches this week in Nowy Sącz, in an investigation into suspected misappropriation involving public officials and EU funds.

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Zagreb (Croatia), urgent evidence collection activities are being carried out by the National Police Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (Policijski nacionalni ured za suzbijanje korupcije i organiziranog kriminaliteta), in a pre-investigation of suspected corruption in the connection with the procurement of medical equipment.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Ostrava (Czechia) brought charges against two individuals and one company, accused of subsidy fraud and damaging the financial interests of the EU, in connection with projects co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Czech state budget.

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Venice (Italy), law enforcement have executed a freezing order of €17.2 million, in an investigation involving 48 farmers suspected of criminal association to defraud EU agricultural funds. They are believed to have set up an elaborate fraud scheme to obtain over €20 million in subsidies between 2017 and 2022.

Last week (1 October), at the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Bologna, Palermo and Turin (Italy), the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) of Prato carried out 15 searches and seized assets worth millions of euros, in an investigation into a suspected VAT carousel fraud involving luxury vehicles. 

Following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Timisoara (Romania), four suspects, including three public officials, were indicted today before the Timiș Tribunal Court for a criminal scheme through which €2.2 million in EU funds for pastures was fraudulently secured.

Today, the European Chief Prosecutor informed the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission that the College of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the Bulgarian European Prosecutor. Without prejudice to the presumption of innocence, the Bulgarian European Prosecutor will continue to be suspended for the duration of the disciplinary proceedings.

The Police Directorate Ljubljana carried out searches this week in an investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Ljubljana (Slovenia), involving the purchase of medical equipment, including protective masks, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Today, one company and its  manager were convicted of fraudulently obtaining approximately €220 000 (CZK 5.5 million) in EU funds for a dust reduction project, following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Zlín (Czechia).