According to the evidence, the suspect submitted two subsidy applications over recent years in the name of his daughter. The EU subsidy targeted the activation of young farmers. The applications for both requests appeared to have been signed by his daughter, who was registered as the official holder of the family farm.
However, the EPPO investigation revealed that she had left Croatia at the time the requests were made and was no longer involved in the family business activities.
Because the suspect's daughter held the status of 'young farmer,' the applications would have resulted in an additional subsidy of €121,764. The subsidies aimed to support investments in agricultural enterprises and were co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) of the EU by 85%.
The Croatian Criminal Code provides for a possible sentence of up to ten years' imprisonment for subsidy fraud, and up to three years for document forgery.
The EPPO is the independent public prosecutor of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to court crimes that harm the financial interests of the EU.