The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is running on money. Almost two million euros from the EU funds intended for irrigation were wasted in Romania

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) carried out a series of searches in Romania, after suspicions regarding a fraud of 1.7 million euros were confirmed. The funds were granted by the European Union for the development of irrigation systems that did not materialize.

An agricultural cooperative from Galati County obtained funding for two projects to modernize irrigation systems, totaling 1.7 million euros (8.6 million lei). According to the investigation, the public procurement procedure for selecting a joint venture to execute the projects was manipulated so that the real beneficiary was a predetermined company, owned by the mother of one of the members of the cooperative.

The legal representatives of the cooperative and the selected company submitted false documents certifying that the beneficiary of the funds is not in conflict of interest with the company that was awarded the contract, thus misleading the Romanian Rural Investment Financing Agency (AFIR).

In order to recover the damage caused to the EU budget, the Public Prosecutor’s Office confiscated six plots of land worth approximately 500,000 euros and froze the bank accounts held by the suspects.

The EPPO is the independent public prosecutor’s office of the European Union, responsible for investigating, prosecuting and judging crimes that harm the financial interests of the EU. Since October 2019, Laura Codruța Kövesi has been in charge of the institution.