European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO)

The EPPO in Rotterdam 🇳🇱 has completed its investigation into a fraudulent scheme involving employment funds. The punished company was found to have inflated invoices for advisory services on sustainable employability for SMEs in 36 projects in total. The improperly granted subsidies have been fully recovered. Two individuals have been sentenced to 180 and 140 hours of community service, respectively. 👉Read more: https://lnkd.in/e8qYBSpC

The EPPO in Bratislava 🇸🇰 has launched formal proceedings against six members of an organised crime group and two companies, suspected of a €26 million cross-border VAT fraud scheme involving cross-border trade in precious metals. Four members from this organised group were sentenced by a German court and two suspects currently serve prison sentences in Germany. If charged and convicted in Slovakia, the suspects could face prison terms from three to ten years. Read our press release: https://lnkd.in/es4UAa8Z

The EPPO in Timișoara 🇷🇴 has charged seven individuals, including a mayor, and two companies with subsidy fraud and forgery related to the development of fruit harvesting and processing. The charges involve three projects with a combined value exceeding €1.4 million. The European Delegated Prosecutor leading the investigation has ordered the detention of the suspects and will request their pre-trial detention. In addition, EPPO has seized assets, including buildings, land, and financial holdings, linked to the accused parties. 👉Read more: https://lnkd.in/epnQXpbn

An EPPO investigation into a €1.77 million subsidy fraud in Slovakia 🇸🇰 has led to 15 arrests and 17 seized bank accounts. The suspects obtained financing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the procurement of EU-made specialised machinery, but are understood to have bought cheaper alternatives from China instead. Moreover, they allegedly manipulated the process to grant the contracts to preselected companies, and overstated the prices by up to ten times. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eemz--TH

The EPPO in Zlín 🇨🇿 brought charges today against one individual and one association for fraudulently obtaining €200 000 (CZK 5 million) in EU funds for the provision of childcare services. The investigation showed that the manager of the association presented false statements to obtain the grants. To compensate the damage, Czechia’s Police seized real estate. 👉 Read more: https://lnkd.in/ePtifKW9

The EPPO in Timișoara 🇷🇴 has arrested three individuals, including two public officials, in an investigation into a €2.2 million criminal scheme set up by a sheep breeder who owns a large estate in Romania. The suspect allegedly submitted fraudulent requests for subsidies for pastures that he did not own and for land that was not eligible for support, using public officials from Romania’s paying agency to facilitate the process. The EPPO’s quick response prevented the disbursement of another €1.6 million. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eH6cMgVk

The first trial in EPPO’s biggest investigation to date – codenamed Admiral – starts today. The Central Criminal Court of Lisbon 🇵🇹 will hear 11 suspects over the next few months. Fifteen companies are also accused. The trial involves nine Portuguese and two French nationals who allegedly set up and operated a criminal organisation to conduct large-scale VAT fraud spanning multiple countries, between 2016 and 2022. The estimated damage in Portugal alone amounts to over €80 million. The estimated losses to the EU, and to the national budgets of EU countries affected by the activities under the Admiral investigation flagship, could amount to €2.9 billion. Read more: https://lnkd.in/egk-Gmmp

Five individuals were convicted yesterday in the EPPO’s Huracán investigation in 🇩🇪, which centred on an international scheme involving car trading. Over 10 000 vehicles were sold, fraudulently generating more than €190 million, and leading to VAT losses of €53.7 million. The Regional Court in Düsseldorf sentenced the defendants to imprisonment ranging from 1 year and 9 months to 6 years and 2 months. Read more: https://lnkd.in/efNvx2NX

The Italian Financial Police 🇮🇹 has seized two properties in an EPPO investigation into a vocational training institute that received €1 million to organise professional courses. The suspects were supposed to offer training free of charge, but they allegedly collected fees from the participants, while using the EU funds to buy real estate. The project was co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and the Cohesion Fund for the Region of Lombardia. Read more: https://lnkd.in/egQgPZpx

We are looking for a Senior IT Officer – Solutions Architect❗️ 👉Check out the vacancy notice: https://lnkd.in/e_bfXVYr 📅Apply by 18/11/2024 and join the EPPO!