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31/03/2026   European Public Prosecutor's Office News

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Germany: Conviction in EPPO case on evasion of anti-dumping duties on aluminium foil imports (Luxembourg, 31 March 2026) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Cologne (Germany) has secured a conviction at the Krefeld District Court in a case involving the evasion of anti-dumping duties on imports of aluminium foil products used by hairdressers. One of the defendants, a Chinese national, was convicted to one year and eight months of imprisonment, suspended with a probationary period of three years, as well as a fine of €100 000. Proceedings against the second defendant were discontinued on condition that they pay a set amount of money. As previously reported, the EPPO brought charges in July 2024 against two individuals. The convicted individual operated a German-based company that imported aluminium foil products, in particular hairdressing foil, while falsely declaring the country of origin as Myanmar instead of China, in order to avoid anti-dumping duties. To support the scheme, the defendant set up a company in Myanmar, which carried out only minimal processing of the goods that was insufficient to alter their origin under EU customs rules. This structure was used to conceal the true Chinese origin of the products. In total, approximately €610 000 in anti-dumping duties were evaded with this scheme. In addition, the defendant was held responsible as an indirect perpetrator for seven further cases, where he sold aluminium foil products directly to German customers through a company in Myanmar, without informing them that the foil was produced in China. As a result, the customers unknowingly submitted incorrect customs declarations, resulting in an additional damage of approximately €140 000. The court also ordered the confiscation of assets of over €321 000 linked to the criminal activity. Part of these assets, worth €278 000, have already been secured during the investigation through precautionary measures. This EPPO-led investigation was carried out by customs investigation officers from Essen (Zollfahndungsamt Essen). The judgment is subject to appeal. 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.   more

Czechia: Entrepreneur sentenced to six years and six months in prison for paying debts with EU funds (Luxembourg, 1 April 2026) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Zlín (Czechia) has secured a conviction at the Regional Court of Ostrava against an entrepreneur, sentenced to six years and six months of imprisonment for subsidy fraud, damage to the financial interests of the EU, damage to a creditor and money laundering. As previously reported, the defendant received €1 million (CZK 25 151 927.81) from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), under the Operational Programme ‘Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness’. The funds were intended for the creation of a modern system for long-term data storage in the Moravian-Silesian region. The court found that the defendant had submitted false documents to obtain the EU contribution, falsely attesting that his company had secured the necessary co-financing and that it had purchased data archiving technology from companies in Germany and the United Kingdom. Instead of using the funds for the project, the defendant used them to pay his personal debts and other company obligations. In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed on the defendant a prohibition from dealing with subsidy bodies and participating in subsidy procedures in any capacity for a period of six years. The court also ordered the confiscation of €1 048 000, corresponding to the proceeds of the crime. No penalty was imposed in relation to the insolvency of the convicted individual. The judgment is subject to appeal. 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.   more   European Public Prosecutor's Office - 11 Avenue John F. Kennedy, Luxembourg, 1855 Luxembourg