(Luxembourg, 23 October 2024) – The Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) of Benevento (Italy) has placed three individuals under house arrest following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Naples into fraud involving a plant for the production of pellets.
The three suspects are understood to have received €315 000 as part of an investment programme with a total value of €700 000, partly financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The suspects allegedly made use of a non-operational company based in Czechia to issue false invoices for non-existent activities. The funds were meant to facilitate the purchase of new equipment and machinery, but searches in a company warehouse found no evidence of such acquisitions.
Earlier this year, the Guardia di Finanza froze close to €48 000 in the bank accounts of the suspects and the company, on top of seizing land and other property worth €267 000, in a bid to recover the damage.
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.