Bulgaria: EPPO searches ski resort in investigation into Covid-19 subsidy fraud

Today, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Sofia (Bulgaria), is leading searches in two hotels in a Bulgarian ski resort in an investigation into Covid-19 subsidy fraud. 

In 2020 and 2021, the company under investigation obtained €220 000 from the European Social Fund (ESF) under three Operational Programmes. The subsidies were intended to compensate for the staff’s remuneration when tourism came to a halt during the pandemic.

It is suspected that some of the employees were asked by their employer to return a part of the salaries they received and that documents were forged on their behalf to prove that they did receive the financial compensation. The suspicion was reported by Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (ДАНС) and the searches this morning were conducted by the General Directorate of the National Police (Главна Дирекция Национална Полиция).

The 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.