22 arrests in €600 million fraud involving NextGenerationE

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 4 - In the context of an international large-scale investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Venice (Italy), dozens of searches and seizures were conducted, and 22 arrests were made today in Italy, Austria, Romania, and Slovakia, in a probe into an alleged criminal organisation suspected of defrauding €600 million from the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) for Italy, according to the EPPO.
    22 people have been arrested in Italy, Austria, Romania, and Slovakia thanks to the assistance of law enforcement agencies from other Member States, the Office stated.
    The criminal organisation is suspected of orchestrating a fraud scheme between 2021 and 2023 to obtain funds from the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), which is part of the RRF, the main pillar of the NextGenerationEU recovery plan. It is alleged that a network of accountants, service providers, and public notaries assisted the suspects in obtaining €600 million in non-refundable funds from the Italian NRRP over a two-year period.
    The suspects transferred the funds to their bank accounts in Austria, Romania and Slovakia as soon as they received the advance payments, EPPO said today. (ANSA).