(Luxembourg, 30 April 2025) – At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo (Italy), a freezing order of €800 000 was issued against five individuals and one company suspected of EU funding fraud involving ceramic production. The Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) of Sant’Agata di Militello subsequently seized real estate, bank accounts and cash found in the possession of the suspects.
According to the evidence obtained, the suspects successfully applied for around €560 000 in EU structural funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) between 2018 and 2021, by falsely declaring the costs of purchasing machinery for ceramic production. They allegedly used a scheme of over-invoicing and fake transactions to misrepresent the costs by inflating them significantly, and to claim tax benefits on transactions that had never been carried out.
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.