The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Bucharest announces having filed charges against four suspects believed to be part of a criminal ring with ties to Italian mafia groups, in a case of an EUR 4.3 million subsidy fraud involving EU and national funds.In a statement this Tuesday, EPPO said that allegations are that the defendants formed a criminal group with other suspects to provide false letters of guarantee to awardees of EU-funded projects, which claimed to insure the projects against potential damages. In exchange for issuing the letters, the suspects are understood to have collected large amounts of money. According to the prosecutors, the suspects are believed to have carried out this fraudulent scheme in the name of companies registered in Czechia and Latvia, which did not have the right to issue letters of guarantee, nor the financial resources to cover the insured damages.The use of these documents resulted in an illicit gain of approximately EUR 4.3 million, most of the amount coming from the European Regional Development Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Regional Operational Programme.The move of EPPO Bucharest is the result of several investigations into criminal schemes using the same modus operandi, following house searches conducted in Romania and France in May 2023. Earlier, in 2023, other suspects were charged and are currently awaiting trial. Also, EUR 450,000 worth of assets were seized.If found guilty, the defendants face between four and 15 years of imprisonment.Based on the principle of loyal cooperation, the EPPO has alerted the Romanian Ministry of Investment and European projects about the existence of possible vulnerabilities in the management of European funds, which result in a significantly low level of protection of EU's financial interests in Romania.According to the operation methods identified in several cases, the elements that generated a high risk of fraud in EU-funded contracts consisted in the use of letters of guarantee issued by fictitious entities, or that didn't have the right to issue such documents. The bogus documents helped the fraudsters win several public award procedures, and consequently EPPO opened several investigations therein.
A street in Bucharest’s District 3 has been closed to traffic after the state-owned gas network operator Transgaz warned that it had been built over natural gas pipelines in violation of safety standards. Brățării Street was allegedly built by the District 3 City Hall in the area without proper measures in place. Vehicular traffic over […]
Paysera is strengthening its position in Romania by targeting a gap long overlooked by traditional banks: affordable, fully digital financial services for small and medium-sized businesses. In an interview with Romania Insider, Daniel Turbatu, Country Manager of Paysera Romania, says the company’s biggest advantage remains its free business account, which can be opened entirely online […]
DN Agrar Group (BVB: DN), one of the leading integrated agrifood companies in Romania and the largest dairy milk producer in Europe, reported record results for the first nine months of 2025. The company achieved a turnover of RON 158 million, a 25% increase year-on-year, while net profit doubled to RON 43 million, backed by […]
Presidential adviser Ludovic Orban is leaving his position after just six weeks in office, following a mutual agreement with president Nicușor Dan to end their collaboration, the Presidential Administration announced on Tuesday, November 18, as reported by Agerpres. Orban, a former prime...
Yellow Fresh Fruits has quickly emerged as one of Romania’s most dynamic fresh fruit importers, reshaping a market where consistency and speed increasingly define competitiveness. In an interview with Romania Insider, Fryderyk Schiller, COO of Yellow Fresh Fruits, outlines how the company expanded from its Polish origins to operating advanced ripening centers in Timișoara, Bucharest, […]
The design phase for the most difficult section of the A8 highway, namely Lot 2B Grinţieş-Pipirig, has begun, according to a statement given by Romanian transport minister Ciprian Şerban on Monday, November 18. The contract for the section, valued at RON 5.97 billion (EUR 1.17 billion), was signed at the end of October. In total, […]
