Active confiscated while the European Prosecutor's Office uncovers a fraud with agricultural funds in Sardinia

The suspects are believed to have submitted false declarations regarding the land to obtain EU subsidies, laundering the income through commercial activities and vehicle purchases.

Luxembourg, January 14, 2026 – At the request of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Rome, Italian Carabinieri executed preventive seizures in connection with an investigation into a fraud scheme affecting EU agricultural funds in Sardinia. The investigation targets the alleged false declaration of ownership and availability of agricultural land to secure subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

In short

The investigation covers the period between 2020 and 2023, involving suspects who allegedly applied for rural development funds using land they did not legally own.

A regional agricultural assistance center (CAA) is cited for failing to exercise the necessary due diligence, allowing the payment of over 114,000 euros.

Authorities believe that the funds were laundered through bank accounts and used to purchase assets, including a luxury SUV.

According to the collected evidence, the suspects operated through several companies under their control between 2020 and 2023. It is believed that they applied for EU rural development funds declaring that they worked or leased plots of land they did not own or did not have in legal use. These declarations were certified by a regional agricultural assistance center (CAA). Investigators state that the center did not perform the necessary checks, facilitating the payment of over 114,000 euros from public funds.

The investigation indicates that the obtained funds were subsequently laundered. The money would have been transferred through bank accounts and reinvested in commercial activities and movable goods. Specific items confiscated during the operation include a luxury SUV. This case is part of a broader investigative effort by the EPPO to address fraud in the agricultural subsidy sector in the region. All individuals targeted are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a competent court.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/stiri/active-confiscate-in-timp-ce-parchetul-european-descopera-o-frauda-cu-fonduri-agricole-in-sardinia