Two people have been accused of forging documents in Slovenia in order to access European agricultural funds.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Ljubljana confirmed it has filed an indictment in the district court in Ptuj against two individuals.

They are alleged to have forged public documents to fraudulently obtain EU agricultural funds, aimed at supporting farm modernisation.

The case centres on funds to build a new barn and to purchase equipment, co-financed up to 75% by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), under the measure "Support for Investment in Agricultural Holdings".

Slovenia

According to the EPPO, one of the suspects in Slovenia submitted a forged building occupancy permit, apparently issued by public authorities, to the Agency for Agricultural Markets and Rural development.

This agency is responsible for managing and paying agricultural funds.

The forged document was necessary to obtain the payment of the funds, the EPPO said.

Based on the evidence, the document was allegedly forged with the help of the other defendant, who provided templates of the official permits, knowing that the forged document would then be used for fraudulently obtaining public funds.

The EPPO said the fraud resulted in a loss of approximately €95,000 to the EU and the State of Slovenia.

If found guilty, the defendants face one to eight years’ imprisonment for subsidy fraud and up to three years for forgery.

The EPPO noted that the two accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Slovenian courts of law.

The 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.