site.btaCrime Group Involved in EU Agricultural Funds Fraud Is Busted in Bulgaria

A crime group involved in fraud related to EU agricultural funds has been busted in an ongoing operation of the Directorate General for Combating Organized Crime and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). 

The EPPO said that it is looking into the alleged activities of an organized criminal group made up of relatives, subordinates and close friends of the head of the Regional Agricultural State Fund in Petrich, Southwestern Bulgaria. The group is suspected of presenting false, inaccurate and incomplete documents and statements in order to receive EU agricultural funds for an estimated value of around EUR 300,000. In some cases, the group even put the names of deceased people on the documents to get the funds.

Eight suspects have been arrested.