News

(Luxembourg, 4 March 2024) - The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Madrid (Spain) has opened an investigation regarding the contracts signed by the Canarian Health Service and the Health Service of the Balearic Islands for the supply of face masks. After receiving a complaint from an individual, the EPPO carried out various measures aimed at verifying its jurisdiction to investigate the alleged facts. This includes collecting additional information from the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (Fiscalía Anticorrupción) and Central Court number 2 (Juzgado Central número 2), as well as from the different agencies in charge of managing EU funding. Based on the information gathered, a decision was taken to formally initiate the investigation for alleged crimes of embezzlement of public funds, prevarication and influence peddling in accordance with the national law and the EPPO Regulation.

The latest Annual Report of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) shows that at the end of 2023, it had a total of 1 927 active investigations, with an overall estimated damage to the EU budget of €19.2 billion – 59% of which (€11.5 billion, corresponding to 339 investigations) was linked t

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Zagreb (Croatia) has initiated an investigation against two Croatian citizens for subsidy fraud and document forgery. Both individuals were arrested yesterday, 29 February 2024, at the EPPO’s request, following investigation activities conducted by the Istria County Police Administration and the Croatian Tax Administration’s Independent Sector for Financial Investigations. 

Yesterday, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Munich and Cologne (Germany) moved against a suspected criminal organisation, believed to have orchestrated a massive €195 million VAT fraud through the sale of smartphones, small electronic devices and protective face masks. During yesterday’s transnational action led by EPPO under the investigation cluster Midas, more than 180 searches were carried out and 14 people were arrested in 17 countries (Albania, Austria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK). Over 680 tax and police investigators supported the investigative measures. 

Today, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Zagreb (Croatia) is conducting urgent evidence-collecting activities, in cooperation with the Istarska County Police Administration against two persons.

Yesterday, a working arrangement was signed between the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and Czechia’s Supreme Audit Office (SAO).

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Milan (Italy), five individuals were arrested on 23 February, on suspicion of orchestrating a €220 million VAT fraud involving alcohol exports to several Member States.A freezing order was also executed at the EPPO’s request by the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) of Milan, targeting bank accounts, real estate and luxury cars.

(Luxembourg, 27 February 2024) – In the context of a large-scale investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo (Italy), several searches, arrests and seizures took place between Saturday and Monday, in a probe into an alleged criminal association suspected of aggravated VAT fraud involving beverages and EU funding fraud.

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo (Italy), over €760 000 in assets have been seized, in an investigation into fraud involving EU agricultural funding aimed at building and modernising olive oil mills.