Romania: Five indicted over €1.8 million fraudulent scheme to rig EU-funded public contracts

(Luxembourg, 16 October 2026) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Bucharest (Romania) filed an indictment on Wednesday at the Bucharest Tribunal against five individuals, accused of having established a criminal group with the aim of defrauding public procurement procedures in Romanian municipalities, benefiting from EU funding.

Two of the defendants are believed to have acted as leaders of the group, which operated between 2017 and 2022. They identified EU-funded programmes, contacted rural municipalities across Dolj County, in the Oltenia region of southwestern Romania, and persuaded them to apply for funding. They subsequently prepared the documentation relating to the funding applications and the ensuing procurement procedures, and provided the other three members of the group with information about the tenders. The evidence suggests that the latter used various companies to participate in the procurement procedures and secure the contracts, submitting false documents intended to demonstrate that the eligibility criteria for the award of the contracts had been met.

The indictment concerns seven EU-funded programmes financed under the Human Capital Operational Programme, Priority Axis 4 - Social inclusion and combating poverty benefiting seven rural municipalities. The programmes aimed to provide food to people living in poverty, as well as organise workshops and training sessions for marginalised communities in rural areas.

A total of 22 procurement procedures conducted under these programmes are alleged to have been fraudulent, causing an estimated damage of €1.8 million (RON 9.5 million).

Earlier in this investigation, assets of the suspects were seized amounting to €1.8 million (RON 9.5 million).

If found guilty, the defendants face between three years and 10 years and six months in prison.

All persons concerned are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in the competent Romanian 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.