| In Portuguese below / Versão em português infra (Luxembourg, 5 November 2025) – At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Lisbon (Portugal), multiple searches are being conducted today in the city of Ourém, in a probe into suspected fraud involving EU funds to support companies’ innovation and sustainability. The companies under investigation are suspected of obtaining the funds using fraudulent information and of activities detrimental to the environment. Today’s investigative measures have been launched in cooperation with the national prosecutor’s office (Regional Investigation Department of Évora – Departamento Regional de Investigação de Acção Penal de Évora), which is handling a parallel investigation. The searches are being carried out by the Portuguese Judiciary Police (Polícia Judiciária) at the town hall of Ourém and at the premises of companies under investigation. The investigative measures also count on the support of the Technical Advisory Unit of the national Prosecutor General’s Office (Núcleo de Assessoria Técnica da Procuradoria-geral da República). According to the investigation, code-named “Clean land” (‘Terra limpa’), several companies belonging to the same economic group are carrying out industrial activities in the heart of a national ecological reserve without holding the necessary operating licences or building permits. The activities in question may have resulted in potential ecological damage, which is being investigated by the national Public Prosecutor's Office. | 
