At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Sofia (Bulgaria), more than 80 searches and investigative measures are being carried out since yesterday in the country, in an investigation into cross-border VAT fraud, causing an estimated damage of over €13 million. Six Bulgarian citizens were arrested.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Zagreb (Croatia) has filed an indictment against 29 Croatian citizens, including a former deputy minister at the Ministry of Culture and Media, a former dean at the Faculty of Geodesy and an ex-professor, as well as against one company. The charges include misuse of funds related to public procurement procedures, abuse of office and authority, corruption, forgery of official documents and money laundering.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Timișoara (Romania) has submitted six plea agreements with three individuals and three companies to the Timiș Tribunal Court, in an investigation into subsidy fraud and forgery involving EU Start-Up grants, with an estimated damage of around €120 000.

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Brussels (Belgium), yesterday the rector and a senior staff member of the College of Europe in Bruges were detained, as well as a senior official from the European Commission, in an investigation into suspected fraud related to EU-funded training for junior diplomats.

Searches are being carried out today at the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium) and the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels, as part of a probe into suspected fraud related to EU-funded training for junior diplomats, led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Brussels. Three suspects were detained.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Sofia (Bulgaria)  filed an indictment today against the former mayor and the ex-governor of Varna, as well as two public officials from the Executive Agency Maritime Administration, for fraud relating to the reconstruction of a fishing port that did not exist.

Today, the European Chief Prosecutor addressed a letter to the European Commission in line with Recital 16 of Regulation (EU) 2020/2092 of 16 December 2020 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the budget of the European Union (Conditionality Regulation), pointing at the amendments to the Slovak law on whistle-blower protection very recently proposed by the government of the Slovak Republic and due to be adopted next week through an expedited procedure.

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s office (EPPO) in Milan (Italy), the Carabinieri’s Labour Protection Group executed precautionary measures against three Italian entrepreneurs. Two were subjected to house arrest, and one prohibited from dealing with public administrations and exercising executive offices in legal entities and businesses.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Venice (Italy) and Zagreb (Croatia) jointly carried out arrests and searches in both Croatia and Italy, in an investigation targeting a large-scale VAT fraud scheme related to an organised criminal group trading in electronic goods and hygiene products, causing an estimated damage of over €78 million in unpaid VAT. This is the first multimillion VAT fraud in Croatia uncovered by the EPPO.

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Paris (France), the competent judge of the Paris Criminal Court ordered a seizure of over €1.9 million relating to two real estate properties, and a freezing order of nearly €550 000 on bank accounts. Both belong to a French trading company and their managers, based in the Paris area, specialised in importing among other shoes and bags from China to Europe and suspected of customs fraud.