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.

On Friday, 31 March 2023, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in České Budějovice (Czechia) referred a criminal case to the Pardubice branch seat of the Hradec Králové Regional Court, where two individuals were indicted for fraudulently obtaining up to €190 000 in EU funds, for the provision of childcare services.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is carrying out searches today, 31 March 2023, in Sofia (Bulgaria), in a probe into possible corruption and misuse of EU funds to restore the city’s historic centre, including its iconic yellow paved streets.

In an investigation carried out by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo, Sicily (Italy), over €239 000 in movable assets and real estate has been seized from a company suspected of agricultural funding fraud. These seizures were made by the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Agri-food of Messina (Reparto Carabinieri per la Tutela Agroalimentare di Messina).

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) today, 28 March 2023, carried out ten searches in several locations in Belgium, including at Liège Airport, and arrested four suspects, during an operation against a customs fraud ring believed to have caused damages of up to €310 million in evaded tax.

In an investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Bologna, a pre-trial house arrest warrant and a freezing order of over €1 million were issued by the Italian judge for the investigation working at the Tribunal of Macerata, at the request of the EPPO.

In an investigation into a complex VAT fraud on imported fuels, led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bologna (Italy), the Parma Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) executed today, 23 March 2023, a freezing order of assets of up to €149 million.

At the beginning of March (7 March 2023), the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Zlín (Czechia), together with the Czech Police, seized money and real estate properties worth €740 000 from a suspect and his company. On Monday this week (20 March 2023), the police brought charges against both the suspect and the company.

In an extensive operation carried out today, 21 March 2023, against a criminal group based in Naples (Italy), believed to have orchestrated a massive VAT fraud through the sales of electronic equipment, 12 people were arrested by the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza), including four public officials, for corruption offences.