EPPO has seized nearly 2 million euros in an investigation in Italy regarding fraud with funds from the Recovery Plan

The European Public Prosecutor's Office announced the confiscation of assets worth 1.98 million euros in Italy, in an investigation regarding an alleged organized criminal group that supposedly fraudulently obtained public funds and tax credits for fictitious energy efficiency works, including 125,000 euros from the European Recovery and Resilience Mechanism allocated to Italy.

In short

1. The EPPO from Turin requested the confiscation of assets worth 1.98 million euros, executed by the Guardia di Finanza from Biella, in an investigation regarding RRF funds for Italy.

2. The investigation, named "Nuovi Orizzonti", targets an alleged criminal group that is said to have defrauded public budgets by obtaining RRF funds and through tax credits for fictitious energy efficiency works.

3. According to the investigation, the suspects allegedly used companies in the names of intermediaries and falsified balance sheets to simulate financial solidity and access nearly 2 million euros in public funding and tax incentives, of which 125,000 euros came from the RRF.

4. The seized assets include balances from current bank accounts, three properties, two luxury cars, and shares in three companies, belonging to a total of 12 individuals.

5. This is the second seizure in this investigation, following searches and confiscations amounting to 3.3 million euros reported in July 2025.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office announced that, at the request of its office in Turin, the Italian Financial Guard from Biella confiscated assets worth 1.98 million euros in an investigation regarding an alleged fraud involving funds from the EU Recovery and Resilience Mechanism for Italy.

The investigation, codenamed "Nuovi Orizzonti", targets an alleged organized criminal group that, according to the EPPO, is said to have defrauded public budgets by obtaining funds from the RRF and by claiming tax credits for fictitious energy efficiency works. According to the investigation, the suspects, described as tax consultants and accounting service centers operating in Italy, allegedly established companies in the names of intermediaries and falsified the companies' balance sheets to demonstrate non-existent financial solidity.

EPPO states that the aim was to access nearly 2 million euros in public funding and tax incentives, of which 125,000 euros came from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism allocated to Italy.

The measure executed last week was ordered by a preventive seizure order issued by the Biella Court and implemented by the Financial Guard from Biella, with the support of colleagues from Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany, Basilicata, and Calabria. Among the seized assets, belonging to a total of 12 individuals, are balances of current bank accounts, three properties, two luxury cars, and shares in three companies.

EPPO specifies that this is the second seizure in the ongoing investigation, after searches and confiscations amounting to 3.3 million euros took place in July 2025.

The institution emphasizes that all individuals involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Italian courts. EPPO reminds that it is the independent prosecutor's office of the European Union, responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to trial crimes that affect the financial interests of the EU.

The Recovery and Resilience Mechanism is the EU's central instrument for financing reforms and investments from national recovery plans. In this case, the EPPO is investigating the alleged fraudulent use of a portion of these funds in Italy, alongside alleged fraud regarding tax incentives for energy efficiency works. The "Nuovi Orizzonti" investigation is ongoing, and the current seizure follows an initial series of searches and confiscations reported in 2025.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/stiri/eppo-a-confiscat-aproape-2-milioane-euro-intr-o-ancheta-din-italia-privind-frauda-cu-fonduri-din-planul-de-redresare