Balgarianovinite.com The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Bucharest carried out searches on Wednesday as part of an investigation into suspected fraud involving two EU-funded projects worth about EUR 10 million, related to lithium-ion battery production and metal modular structure processing, the institution said on Thursday.
A total of 14 properties and company premises in Romania and Bulgaria were searched to gather evidence. Operations were also conducted in Austria and the United Kingdom.
Seven individuals are to be taken to the EPPO office in Bucharest to be formally notified of their suspect status.
According to investigators, the project beneficiaries submitted false or inaccurate documents to the managing authority in Bucharest between 2020 and 2024. These included entirely fabricated budget offers, as well as misleading documentation regarding their financial contribution and capacity. The same funds were allegedly reused across both projects to create the impression of financial stability. Funds were temporarily transferred to beneficiaries’ accounts solely to generate bank statements required for the projects.
As a result, EUR 7.5 million was unlawfully obtained from the European Regional Development Fund.
The beneficiaries are also suspected of setting up fraudulent domestic and international financial schemes to divert funds for personal gain.
The investigated acts may constitute offences related to fraud, forgery and money laundering, the statement added.
The EPPO worked jointly with Romanian judicial and law enforcement authorities, including anti-fraud and criminal investigation units, as well as with Bulgaria’s National Investigation Service and General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime. European Public Prosecutor’s Office Probes EUR 20M Fraud in Romania; Searches Conducted in Bulgaria 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-04-09 19:11:25 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law