In one case, there were undue subsidies for the purchase of modern equipment in the construction of a new pig farm in Corabia, funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). This resulted in an overclaim of €667,000; the investigation prevented €500,000 from being paid out.
The investigation also established that two Romanians from the Agency for Financing Rural Investments (AFIR) falsely declared that they had conducted accurate on-site inspections.
In the other case, a criminal procedure was initiated last week against one person accused of illegally obtaining nearly €2 million from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. This individual received the funds between 2017 and 2019 for the construction of two greenhouses for strawberries and lettuce in the municipality of Bălanu.
During searches conducted last week, authorities discovered 60 forged documents, including bank statements, payment orders, and tax invoices. These were submitted to the EU through the Romanian AFIR application office.
To recover the money, the authorities have seized two agricultural buildings, the associated land, bank accounts, and a luxury car belonging to the accused. The suspect has been placed under judicial supervision by a Romanian judge.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) is the independent public prosecution service of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to justice crimes that harm the financial interests of the EU.