Assets were seized Friday in Sicily as part of an investigation into possible fraud involving EU funds aimed at promoting veterinary public health, at the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo.
The investigation, carried out by the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) of Palermo, concerns possible wrongdoing in the management of public funding provided by the EU through the Sicilian regional government (Regione Siciliana) and by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) for projects involving the prevention and control of animal diseases and cross-border zoonoses.
Three senior public officials working at a public institute responsible for veterinary public health are suspected of using their positions to unduly obtain public resources for a private committee controlled by one of the suspects. This private organization, which employed all the suspects, gave the appearance of being the legitimate public organization dedicated to preventing animal diseases and infectious illnesses, thus duplicating the responsibilities of the public body.
The activities of the suspects during the period 2022-2025 seem to have led to shifting management of these activities from a public body to a private organization, in order to obtain illicit advantages for themselves.
In order to compensate the estimated damage to the EU budget, the Judge for Preliminary Investigations of the Court of Palermo ordered the seizure of assets belonging to the suspects up to the amount of €175 000.
All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Italian courts of law.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.
