Four people have been arrested in Croatia on suspicion of trying to fraudulently obtain about €685,000 in EU and state funding intended for earthquake-related repairs.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Zagreb informed on Friday that it has opened an investigation into suspected subsidy fraud linked to support for restoring agricultural land and production damaged by an earthquake that struck the Sisak area on 29 December 2020.
The suspects are alleged to have sought non-refundable support co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), an EU fund that helps finance rural and agricultural projects.
Between February and December 2021, the four individuals — described as company owners — each submitted damage claims to the City of Sisak, allegedly overstating the extent of damage to their companies’ greenhouses.
After the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture issued verification records based on those claims, the suspects then filed grant payment requests with the Paying Agency for Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development totalling €685,077.19.
Checks halted the payments
The requested amount included €582,315.60 (85%) from the EAFRD and €102,761.59 (15%) from Croatia’s state budget.
The money was not paid out after the Paying Agency carried out checks and Ministry of Agriculture staff found on site that the declared damage did not match the actual damage.
All those involved are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in Croatia’s courts, according to the EPPO, which said the arrests were made at its request and further investigative steps were carried out with the Zagreb Police Department.
