(Luxembourg, 21 November 2024) – This week (19 November), at the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Vienna and Graz (Austria), the Vienna Criminal Police (Landeskriminalamt Wien) arrested 15 suspects and carried out 37 searches in Vienna and its surroundings.
On the radar of the EPPO are several criminal organisations that are suspected of defrauding over €3.5 million from the so-called ´Reparaturbonus´ (´Repair Bonus´) programme financed by the EU via the Recovery and Resilience Fund (RRF). The ´Reparaturbonus´ is an initiative of the Austrian government, which promotes and incentivises the repair of electronic devices and household appliances. Its purpose is to encourage sustainability, reduce electronic waste and support local repair business.
The suspects allegedly registered existing but also many fictitious companies as partner businesses of the ´Reparaturbonus´. This allowed them to submit reimbursement claims for repairs to the national administrative and funding agency of the programme. After having been confirmed as partner businesses, the suspects submitted thousands of reimbursement requests claiming subsidies for repairs that allegedly never took place. In so doing, the criminal organisations aimed to fraudulently obtain over €3.5 million in subsidies.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (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.