EPPO arrests a suspect in Poland in a fraud related to the Clean Air program

The investigation targets the abusive use of European and national funds in a program for energy efficiency, with suspected damages of at least 470,000 euros and at least 37 potential affected beneficiaries.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office announced that, at the request of its office in Gdańsk, Polish law enforcement authorities arrested a suspect at Warsaw airport in an investigation regarding the alleged abusive use of funds from the Clean Air program. The suspect, the executive president of a company in Gdańsk involved in implementing projects under the program, is accused of fraud and the abusive use of public funds.

In short 1. The European Public Prosecutor's Office announced the arrest of a suspect at Warsaw airport in an investigation regarding the Clean Air program.

2. The suspect was arrested on March 20, 2026, after being in Thailand, where he was seeking to obtain a residence visa.

3. His company obtained over 1.6 million euros from European and national grants.

4. The EPPO claims that, in several cases, the works did not start or were abandoned early, although they were declared completed.

5. So far, investigators estimate that at least 37 beneficiaries may have been affected, and at least 470,000 euros may have been used abusively.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office specified that the suspect was arrested on March 20, 2026, by officers of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau of Poland, with the support of the Border Police, after returning from Thailand, where he was seeking to obtain a residence visa. The district court for the southern area of Gdańsk ordered preventive detention for three months. At the same time, officers conducted searches at several locations and seized documents and mobile phones as evidence.

According to the EPPO, the arrested person is the general director of a company based in Gdańsk, involved in implementing projects from the Clean Air program. The program is presented by European prosecutors as a scheme of the Polish government that provides funding to homeowners for replacing polluting heating systems and improving the energy efficiency of residential buildings. The scheme is co-financed by the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment, CINEA, under the 2021-2027 program.

Investigators claim that the company acted simultaneously as the contractor for the works and as the representative of the beneficiaries. In this dual role, the company submitted funding applications to national authorities and obtained over 1.6 million euros, or 6,965,250.14 zlotys, from European and national grants. According to findings presented by the EPPO, the funds were transferred directly to the company, and in several cases, the works either did not start or were interrupted at an early stage, despite being declared as completed.

So far, the EPPO states that 37 beneficiaries of the program may have been affected by the alleged criminal activity of the company. European prosecutors estimate that at least 470,000 euros, equivalent to 2,001,446.30 zlotys, coming from public funds and contributions from beneficiaries, may have been used abusively. The institution added that other beneficiaries are being interviewed to determine the full extent of the alleged criminal activity and the possible involvement of other suspects.

The case is not presented as an isolated one. The European Public Prosecutor's Office mentioned that the file is one of several under investigation that target the Clean Air program. At the same time, the institution emphasized that all targeted individuals benefit from the presumption of innocence until proven guilty before the competent courts in Poland.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office is the independent criminal prosecution office of the European Union. According to the presentation included in the press release, the EPPO is responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to trial crimes that affect the financial interests of the Union.

By the nature of the targeted program, the investigation touches both the protection of European funds and the implementation of a public policy related to the energy efficiency of housing. The EPPO press release shows that the Clean Air scheme combines European and national funding for modernizing heating systems and reducing pollution in the residential sector.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/stiri/eppo-aresteaza-in-polonia-un-suspect-intr-o-frauda-legata-de-programul-clean-air