EU funds fraud of €3.5 million: three defendants sent to trial in Romania
The European Public Prosecutor's Office has sent three people to trial in a case of fraud involving European funds for small farms, with estimated damages of €3.5 million.
EPPO case: consultant arrested for fraud involving 237 agricultural projects in Romania
Three people have been sent to trial in a case of fraud involving European funds intended for small farms and young farmers, according to Gândul. The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) estimates the damages at €3.5 million, from a total of €5.7 million in financing requested.
The investigation concerns 237 projects submitted to the Agency for Financing Rural Investments (AFIR), financed through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. Of these, 170 actually received European funds, according to the EPPO.
The main defendant is a consultant arrested in May 2026, accused of submitting false or inaccurate documents for the 237 projects. The other two defendants are under judicial supervision. If found guilty, they risk sentences of up to 10 years' imprisonment.
The investigation also involves dozens of other people being investigated in the case. Thirty of them have admitted their guilt and requested guilty plea agreements, which are currently being processed. According to the investigators, the people involved are said to have accepted commissions of 10–15% of the project value in exchange for submitting applications on their behalf, with false or inaccurate documents.
The investigation was conducted by the EPPO office in Bucharest, together with judicial police officers from the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), with the support of the Dâmbovița County Police Inspectorate and the Economic Crime Investigation Brigade within the General Police Directorate of Bucharest Municipality.
The case comes during the final period of Laura Codruța Kovesi's tenure as head of the EPPO. The EPPO notes that all persons targeted are presumed innocent until proven guilty before the competent Romanian courts.
Source: Gândul