The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) announced on Wednesday that it has indicted three people for a 1.2 million-euro fraud, following an investigation into the award of European grants for the modernisation of irrigation systems in Valcea county.
According to an EPPO press release, three organisations are involved in the case, which obtained support from the Romanian Agency for Rural Investment Financing (AFIR) for four projects to modernise existing irrigation systems in Bucsani, Galicea and Olanu in Valcea county.
The total amount of grants for the four projects was about 4 million euro (18,575,634 lei), non-reimbursable funds.
For each of the four projects an advance payment of 300,000 euro was made, the total amount being 1.2 million euro.
The EPPO investigation revealed that false or inaccurate documents were used for the four projects, both at the time when they were submitted for funding and during their execution.
Moreover, the beneficiaries of the funds used most of the advance for their own benefit and not for the purpose for which they were granted.
The investigation is ongoing to establish the extent of the criminal activities.