Assets worth €254,000 seized from four Italian farmers suspected of EU agricultural fraud
The European Public Prosecutor's Office in Palermo has obtained the preventive seizure of assets worth approximately €254,000 from four farmers accused of fraudulently obtaining over €450,000 in EU agricultural funds.
Assets worth €254,000 seized from four Italian farmers suspected of EU agricultural fraud
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Palermo has seized assets worth over €250,000 from four Italian farmers accused of fraud involving EU agricultural funds.
The preventive seizure order was executed yesterday by Carabinieri from the Agricultural and Food Protection Unit in Messina, at the request of the judge for preliminary investigations at the Court of Catania, as reported by Agriland.
The farmers are suspected of having submitted applications to the Agency for Agricultural Payments (AGEA) claiming to have carried out grazing activities on land outside their properties. However, according to investigators, they would not have activated the mandatory grazing code, an official registration that authorises grazing on plots external to the main holding and activates veterinary checks.
It is believed that the suspects deliberately acted to circumvent veterinary controls on livestock movements, violating the conditions for receiving public subsidies. The EPPO contends that the four fraudulently obtained over €450,000 in EU agricultural funds intended for grazing activities.
The seizure involved various properties, assets and rights to AGEA payments with a total value of approximately €254,000. The operation was carried out on Monday, 12 January.
The EPPO recalled that all persons involved are considered innocent until proven guilty before the competent Italian courts.
The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union, responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to trial offences against the financial interests of the EU.
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)