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EPPO detained two people in Slovakia and seized assets worth three million euros

by AI | 25.Mar 2025 | Europe in brief AI

European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Slovakia uncovered EU subsidy fraud and money laundering

European Public Prosecutor's Office in Slovakia uncovered fraud with euro subsidies. PHOTO: TASR

Luxembourg/Bratislava – The office of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Slovakia charged six suspects on Tuesday and seized assets worth approximately three million euros as part of an ongoing investigation into extensive subsidy fraud and money laundering. Two suspected leaders of the organized criminal group were arrested and taken into custody. EPPO announced this in a press release, according to TASR.

The investigation began in November 2024, when EPPO in Bratislava uncovered fraudulent EU subsidy applications worth 1.77 million EUR. This investigation led to the acquisition of key evidence that revealed a broader scheme to obtain funds from European funds through fraud.

Based on the evidence obtained, EPPO assessed that an organized criminal group composed of six individuals fraudulently obtained EU financial resources for projects co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. The suspects, operating through five Slovak companies and one Czech company, allegedly manipulated public procurement procedures to ensure that affiliated companies secured contracts for the purchase of specialized machines.

The accused overvalued the prices of machines manufactured in China more than tenfold, claiming they were made in the EU. The suspects then submitted forged invoices and bank transfer documents to justify the overvalued costs. The Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic prepaid 80 percent of the requested funds to the companies.

Further investigation revealed that the members of the organized criminal group also committed money laundering. They attempted to legalize criminal proceeds by transferring funds through affiliated companies, issuing false invoices for fictitious transactions. These funds were transferred back to the personal accounts of the group’s leaders and reinvested into their own companies.

In connection with the investigation, the police searched four residential and four non-residential premises last Thursday and detained two group leaders. The judge ordered their detention, justifying the decision by arguing that they could continue criminal activities and tamper with evidence. EPPO froze more than 400,000 euros in bank accounts, seized 60,000 euros in cash, as well as five houses and one apartment. In total, assets worth more than three million euros were seized. (March 25)