At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ostrava (Czechia), the Czech Police’s National Centre Against Organised Crime (Národní centrála proti organizovanému zločinu – NCOZ) arrested eight persons and carried out fourteen searches yesterday in the Moravian-Silesian region. This action is part of an investigation into procurement fraud, bribery, and subsidy fraud. 

On behalf of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Berlin (Germany), the State Criminal Police Office (Landeskriminalamt Brandenburg) of Brandenburg is carrying out searches in several locations today, in an investigation into an entrepreneur understood to have illegally obtained EU agricultural funds to promote the cultivation of fennel in organic farming.

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo (Italy), a freezing order exceeding €20 000 was executed last week against twelve public officials. The order, issued by the Palermo Court's judge for preliminary investigations, is part of an investigation into the embezzlement of EU funds for public school projects in a socially deprived area of Sicily.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Madrid (Spain) obtained a conviction in a case concerning a project for a new factory to produce animal feed, co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). 

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Zagreb (Croatia) has initiated an investigation against two Croatian citizens on suspicion of fraud involving agricultural subsidies. Both suspects were arrested yesterday at the EPPO's request, in the wake of investigative activities carried out in cooperation with the Primorsko-Goranska County Police Administration. 

Today, following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Paris (France), the Paris Criminal Court convicted a French company of customs fraud related to the import of sanitary products and sentenced the company to pay a €150 000 fine.

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Milan (Italy), the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) of Milan arrested four suspects and seized assets worth up to €97 million yesterday, in an investigation into a VAT fraud involving the sale of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services.

Full speech of the European Chief Prosecutor, Laura Kövesi, at the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) in Brussels, Belgium - 30 September 2024

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Bologna (Italy), the Italian Financial Police (Nucleo di Polizia Economico Finanziaria - Guardia di Finanza) in Ferrara executed a freezing order of nearly €2.4 million from two companies involved in the import of stainless steel coils. The companies and their administrators are being investigated for evading customs duties and ideological forgery.

Today, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Cluj-Napoca (Romania), is conducting searches at the premises of the Maramureș County and 14 private residences of some of its officials. The searches are happening in the wake of an ongoing investigation into possible procurement fraud, forgery of documents and abuse of office linked to renovation works of a public administration building.