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Italy: Seizure of assets worth over €442 000 in investigation into agricultural funding fraud

Published on
tractor, grass mower

(Luxembourg, 22 May 2024) – At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo (Italy), a freezing order of over €442 000, issued by the judge for preliminary investigations of the Court of Catania, was executed today against three individuals associated with an agricultural business operating in the province of Catania, suspected of fraud involving EU agricultural funds.

According to the investigation, the suspects successfully applied for over €375 000 in EU agricultural funds between 2020 and 2023, by falsely declaring ownership and possession of land (over 368 hectares) in the Sicilian provinces of Syracuse and Catania. In addition, the suspects had received over €65 000 in payment entitlements directly from the Italian Agricultural Payments Agency (AGEA).

The investigation demonstrated that the suspects were not in fact owners of the land, and that they only had the right to mow its grass – as they had won the contract to do so from the actual owner of the land, the Naval Air Station Sigonella. That is why they were not allowed to use it for agricultural activities, but only to carry out the grass mowing service.

The suspects are two brothers and the partner of one of them. One of the brothers used to work for Italy’s Agricultural Assistance Centre (CAA), while the other is the owner of the agricultural business. It is understood that the latter’s partner actively contributed to the suspected fraud.

Money and financial assets received from AGEA and financed by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) were seized by the Carabinieri Agri-food Protection Department of Messina (Reparto Carabinieri per la Tutela Agroalimentare di Messina).

All persons concerned are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in the competent Italian courts of law.

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.