News

The European Chief Prosecutor, Laura Codruța Kövesi, and the Governor of the Hellenic Independent Authority of Public Revenues (IAPR), Georgios Pitsilis, signed a working arrangement today between the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the IAPR.

Today, following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), the Paris Criminal Court convicted two individuals and one company of customs fraud involving luxury cars, in what is the first EPPO case in France to reach the courts.

Today, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Iaşi (Romania) is carrying out an operation against an alleged organised criminal group, suspected of perpetrating a €1.6 million fraud involving EU and national funds designated to promote employment.

Yesterday, 13 February 2023, a German court (Landgericht München II) convicted four out of ten suspects of organising a VAT carousel fraud scheme involving luxury cars. This follows an earlier conviction of one of the ten in 2022.

Last Monday (6 February), the Naples Carabinieri Investigative Unit seized over €50 000, in an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Naples into possible fraud involving EU agricultural funds.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Venice (Italy) yesterday seized €1.6 million, in an investigation into suspected fraud concerning the development of futuristic mobile water treatment machines, funded by the EU.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) today arrested three individuals suspected of being part of a criminal organisation involved in smuggling tobacco into Italy and France, during an operation carried out with the help of the Genoa Provincial Command of the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza).

Today, the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) in Palermo is carrying out a preventive seizure order of over €7 million, requested by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo. The suspects had obtained funds from the Sicilian Rural Development Programme (PSR Sicilia) to construct a livestock farming complex with an attached slaughterhouse. According to the investigation, they issued invoices with a higher price than the actual price of their expenses, which led to inflated invoices of over €12 million (incl. VAT).

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) today filed an indictment against six defendants in the Vilnius District Court (Lithuania) for fraud relating to procurement procedures, which caused damages of €580 000 to the EU budget, since fully recovered thanks to the timely investigation.