The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Iasi (Romania) brought charges against four individuals and two companies for aggravated subsidy fraud and forgery of private documents in an investigation into a €1.73 million fraud involving projects for irrigation systems, entirely funded by the EU, https://www.eppo.europa.eu/ informs. As previously reported, the investigation looked into an agricultural cooperative which obtained funding for two projects to modernise irrigation systems, worth €1.73 million (RON 8.6 million). However, according to the investigation, the public procurement procedure to select a company to execute the projects was manipulated, in order to benefit a pre-determined company, owned by the wife of de facto manager of the cooperative. The investigation revealed a conflict of interest in the funding of the two projects. The de facto manager of the cooperative which received the funds, was married to the representative of the company that won the contract. Additionally, a person who chaired the cooperative’s tender evaluation committee was simultaneously working as an accountant for the bidding company. In an attempt to mislead Romania’s Agency for Financing Rural Investments (AFIR), the legal representatives of both the cooperative and the selected company submitted false documents falsely claiming there was no conflict of interest. Furthermore, the representatives of the cooperative requested and obtained from AFIR the reimbursement of contractor expenses, by submitting several false payment orders claiming that they already paid the contractors. In order to recover the damage to the EU budget and any judicial expenses, the EPPO seized six plots of lands (worth approximately €500 000) and froze bank accounts held by the suspects. Under Romania’s Criminal Code, aggravated subsidy fraud is punishable with up to 10.5 years of imprisonment, and up to three years for forgery of private documents. The two companies, if convicted, could receive a penalty fine up to approximately €420.000 (RON 2.1 million), in addition to complementary penalties. 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.?
Elon Musk's mother, Maye Musk, re-shared a post about the Craiova Christmas Market on X on Monday, December 1. She described the event as "beautiful" and included three emojis in her caption. The original post highlighted that the Craiova Christmas Market was taking place in a safe environment. "No concrete barriers. No armed guards. No […]
Real estate developer Globalworth has begun construction on Green Court D, the fourth building in its Green Court office complex in Bucharest’s Aurel Vlaicu area. Scheduled for completion in 2027, the project is now in its preliminary phase, which includes enclosure works and excavation for the basement structure, the company said. The new building will […]
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Rock star Marilyn Manson will return to Romania next summer to perform at Rockstadt Extreme Fest, organizers announced on Tuesday, December 2. He is among the headliners confirmed for the local rock and metal festival, which will take place from July 27 to 31 in Ghimbav, Brașov county. “For the first time ever, Marilyn Manson […]
Romania’s government has assumed responsibility in Parliament for legislation reforming magistrates’ pensions, prime minister Ilie Bolojan announced on December 2. He said the draft law had received the opinion of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, noting that the court’s assessment was negative. It is the government’s second attempt to have the bill promulgated, […]
Romania Education Alliance (REA), the first private school network in the country, announced it has exceeded the milestone of 1,000 students enrolled across its member schools just one year after launch. "The fact that we surpassed 1,000 students in our very first year of activity shows that the REA model addresses a real need in […]
