(Luxembourg, 8 October 2024) – On behalf of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Berlin (Germany), the State Criminal Police Office (Landeskriminalamt Brandenburg) of Brandenburg is carrying out searches in several locations today, in an investigation into an entrepreneur understood to have illegally obtained EU agricultural funds to promote the cultivation of fennel in organic farming.
According to the investigation, the suspect successfully applied between 2021 and 2022 for over €1.3 million in subsidies, co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) at 75% and the Brandenburg state budget at 25%. The grants were intended to support the cultivation and growing of organic fennel.
It is understood that the suspect had no intention of properly cultivating and tilling the land he had mentioned in his applications. A field visit revealed that the land was neglected and that no harvest had been carried out in the designated area.
Only a single payment of €44 785.19 was made before the disbursement of the outstanding grants was prevented.
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.