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(Luxembourg, 19 September 2023) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Cluj-Napoca (Romania) is carrying out house searches today in Sibiu County, as part of an investigation into Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, suspected of fraud involving Erasmus funds.
It is alleged that employees of the university, who were responsible for coordinating the External Relations Services, drew up fictitious contracts with various citizens from East Asia to receive funding for two Erasmus+ Partner Countries projects.
It is also understood that students, doctoral students and teaching staff from Asia continued to appear on the payroll of two Erasmus Mundus mobility projects, even though their contracts were coming to an end. It is believed that their signatures were forged to transfer the money to other people.
In total, the estimated damage amounts to around €1 million.
The current management of Lucian Blaga University is cooperating, and it is also they who filed the initial complaint of this investigation.
The house searches are being carried out by dozens of police officers from Sibiu County Police Inspectorate (Inspectoratul de Poliție al Județului Sibiu).
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.