The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Romania has filed an indictment against four individuals for suspected fraud involving funds for young farmers.

The charges were brought by EPPO in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union.

It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.

EPPO said according to the evidence, the defendants submitted false and inaccurate documents to Romania’s Agency for Financing Rural Investments (AFIR), responsible for managing EU funds, thereby attempting to unlawfully obtain €115,000, of which they received €45,000.

False qualification certificates

It is understood that the defendants were helped by two other individuals, who provided consultancy activities to obtain EU funds.

These individuals issued false professional qualification certificates, certifying that the beneficiaries had attended professional training for “qualified workers in animal breeding”, a requirement to obtain the EU funding.

They both signed plea agreements, requesting the application of simplified prosecution procedures.

These agreements were subsequently submitted to the Cluj Court in March of this year.

According to EPPO, if found guilty, the four main defendants face prison sentences of up to seven years.

In order to compensate for the estimated damage to the EU budget, earlier in this investigation, one house and several plots of land were seized, worth approximately €170,000.

All persons concerned are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in the competent Romanian courts of law.

Lithuania

In a separate case, members of an organised crime group in Lithuania were convicted earlier this month of fraud involving funds for young farmers.

The Vilnius City District Court convicted members of the group in a fraudulent scheme involving EU and national funds intended for young farmers.

The case followed charges brought by EPPO in Vilnius, Lithuania.

EPPO said that this judgment marks the conclusion of proceedings against 26 individuals involved in a large-scale fraud scheme.

Four organisers were found guilty and fined a total of €150,000.