OPEN LETTER/ Come to the dialogue and listen to me speak, otherwise I will cut off your scholarships, you will rot in prison. Please!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Fraud with agricultural subsidies? Italian authorities freeze 440 thousand euros owned by fake farmers

2024-05-23 12:45:49Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Fraud with agricultural subsidies? Italian authorities freeze 440 thousand euros

Italian authorities issued a freezing order against a group of farmers who claimed EU agricultural subsidies had been claimed for gardeners.

Three people linked to Italian businesses allegedly made false claims of more than €375,000 in EU agricultural funds between 2020 and 2023, of which €65,000 have already been withdrawn by the Italian payment agency.

The 368 hectares of farmland they claimed to own in order to receive the subsidies were not actually theirs, however, according to authorities, they belonged to the Sigonella Naval Air Station, for which the three suspects simply cut grass.

The suspects are two brothers and another partner, who at a later stage took an active part in the alleged fraud. The brothers are familiar with agriculture, however, as one of the two actually owns an agricultural business while the other was employed by Italy's Agricultural Aid Center.

This is the third major case involving freezing orders sought by the EPPO – which investigates, prosecutes and brings to justice perpetrators of crimes that damage the EU budget – involving Italy this year, leading to the freezing of more than €3.7 million in assets in the last three months.

In 2023, a third of open investigations into fraud in the EU agricultural budget involved Italy, according to EPPO figures.

For Andrea Venegoni, the European prosecutor for Italy, there are many reasons for the large number of agricultural fraud investigations in the country. The prosecutor also noted the "extraordinary investigative skills" of the Italian financial and judicial police leading to the detection of the fraud, combined with the activity of European delegated prosecutors, who have worked effectively with law enforcement bodies.

Fraud is not within the Commission's remit to act as the EU executive can only deal with administrative errors that may occur and correct expenditure with audits – while the EU's anti-fraud office (OLAF) is the body responsible for handling cases of fraud, which can then be prosecuted by the EPPO.

The Commission will closely follow developments in the case to see if the alleged crimes highlight weaknesses in administrative control systems.


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×