EU prosecutors investigate Croatia over suspected farm fund fraud
Criminal Investigation into EU Agricultural Funds in Croatia
SARAJEVO, May 6 (Reuters) - The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) has launched a criminal investigation into possible corruption and fraud involving European Union agricultural funds in Croatia, it said on Wednesday.
Police were gathering evidence in several counties in central Croatia, it said in a statement.
Details of the Investigation
The probe relates to the activities of Croatian nationals suspected of abuse of office and authority, receiving and offering bribes, subsidy fraud and forgery of documents as part of a criminal association and to the detriment of the EU's financial interests, the EPPO said.
It provided no further details in order not to endanger the outcome of the ongoing proceedings.
Response from Croatian Authorities
Statements from the Agriculture Minister
Croatia's Agriculture Minister David Vlajcic said the changes that his ministry has initiated in its Agency for agriculture payments and the ARKOD system of recording the use of agricultural land were aiming for better transparency and control of the EU funds' use.
Commitment to Transparency
"Our goal is to assure that each euro of public money comes to those who are entitled to it," Vlajcic said in a statement to Reuters.
He also said that the payment agency has been reporting irregularities it had encountered during its work enabling authorized agencies, including EPPO, to act in an appropriate manner.
"This is the proof that we are determined to introduce order in the system of the farm subsidies," Vlajcic said.
Context: Similar Scandals in the EU
The investigation comes on the heels of a scandal in Greece over alleged fraud similarly related to EU farm subsidies that has shaken the centre-right government in recent months.
Greek Farm Subsidy Fraud Case
Last year, European prosecutors charged dozens of Greek stockbreeders with faking ownership of pastureland to claim millions of euros in EU subsidies, allegedly with the help of state employees and conservative politicians.
Political Fallout and EU Response
The affair has prompted ministerial resignations, led the EU last year to impose a record fine on Greece for mismanagement of the subsidies and led the Greek parliament to lift the immunity of 13 implicated lawmakers.
(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic and Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Joe Bavier and Nick Zieminski)
