The competent judge of the Paris Criminal Court has ordered the seizure of €113 000, in an investigation into suspected subsidy fraud affecting the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, at the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Paris.
The investigation concerns an engineering consultancy company based in the Paris region that participated in three EU-funded projects as part of a consortium. According to the evidence gathered, the company, managed by a French couple, is suspected of having failed to disclose information that it was contractually obliged to report to the EU authorities. It is also believed to have submitted incorrect time sheets to give the false impression that staff had dedicated the required number of hours to the implementation of the funded projects.
These actions allegedly resulted in the undue obtainment of €113 000, out of a total of around €800 000 in EU funds granted under Horizon 2020.
To ensure the potential confiscation in case of a criminal conviction, the competent judge at the High Court of Paris ordered the seizure of assets held in a bank account in France. The amount seized corresponds to the suspected proceeds of the offences identified by the investigators.
The investigation is being carried out with the support of the French Anti-Fraud Office of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (ONAF) and the facts were initially reported by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), which also provided expert support and analysis during the investigation.
All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent French 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.
