News

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.

During the pre-trial criminal proceedings, the two accused pleaded guilty to all charges, and signed plea bargains with the European Delegated Prosecutor.

The court sentenced one of the individuals to two years and nine months’ imprisonment, suspended for that duration, and a fine of €9 300. The other accused was sentenced to two years and six months’ imprisonment, suspended for that duration, and a fine of €6 200. The decision became final on 18 April 2023.

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.

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.

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. All five suspects were arrested yesterday, 4 April 2023, at the EPPO’s request. 

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), 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.

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.

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.