(Luxembourg, 22 November 2024) – At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Sofia (Bulgaria), ten searches were carried out on Wednesday, in a probe into suspected subsidy fraud involving the restoration of a church, funded by the EU.
During the searches, conducted in Burgas, Petrich, Rila and Sofia, documents and evidence were seized.
The facts date back to 2017, when a public procurement procedure was conducted for a project to restore wall paintings and architectural details of a church dating back to the 12th century, financed by the EU’s INTERREG IPA Cross Border Cooperation Programme. The church is considered a historical and cultural monument in Bulgaria.
According to the investigation, the company that won the bid did not have the expertise required in the public procedure, and sub-contracted the works to another company. However, the subcontractor did not have the necessary technical skills, either, and subcontracted a third company, which had the required expertise and executed the restoration.
The amount of the support for the restoration was €198 000. Based on the evidence, the first contractor received the total amount, and only paid €70 000 to the subcontractors – thus keeping €128 000 without performing any activities under the project, to the detriment of the EU’s financial interests.
The investigation was carried out with the support of the General Directorate National Police (ГДНП)
All persons concerned are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in the competent Bulgarian 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.