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12/05/2026   European Public Prosecutor's Office News

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Poland: Nine suspects detained in probe into subsidy fraud involving nurseries (Luxembourg, 13 May 2026) - At the request of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Warsaw (Poland), nine suspects were detained yesterday in an investigation into suspected subsidy fraud and attempted money laundering involving childcare institutions in Gdynia and Gdańsk. The investigation concerns a company that, in September 2024, submitted an application to establish and operate nine nurseries for children under three years, each with 40 care places, to the Pomeranian regional administration (Voivodeship) in Gdańsk. The company submitted, in August 2025, applications for the release of approximately €66 500 (PLN 282,577.24) for each institution, with a total of around €599 000 (a total of PLN 2,543,195.16) under the Active Toddler 2022–2029 programme, co-financed for 82.52% from the European Social Fund (ESF). Shortly after, the Pomeranian Voivodeship paid the bulk of the requested funds, €532 426 (PLN 2 260 617.92) but suspended the remaining payment due to suspected fraud. The investigation found that the company submitted false and unreliable documents and statements to secure funding and sign the contract. Evidence showed the project lacked legitimate nursery premises, experienced nursery staff, and the financial resources needed to create childcare places for children under three. Officers of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (Centralne Biuro Antykorupcyjne) in Gdańsk, Bydgoszcz and Lublin carried out over a dozen searches in premises linked to the investigation. Nine individuals were detained for interrogation and preventive measures were ordered against them. Assets worth €538 242 were frozen and the distributed funds were returned to the Pomeranian Voivodeship.   more   Slovenia: EPPO indicts five companies for subsidy fraud involving RRF funds for people with disabilities (Luxembourg, 12 May 2026) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Ljubljana (Slovenia) has filed an indictment at the District Court in Maribor against five companies and their representatives for suspected subsidy fraud involving funds from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), intended to improve the working conditions of their employees with disabilities.According to the investigation, these five companies submitted applications to a public call from the Slovenian Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, financed by the RRF and aimed at companies with employees with disabilities, to introduce more flexible working arrangements tailored to their needs. In their applications, the companies claimed that an independent entrepreneur would carry out activities to the benefit of their employees with disabilities, attaching various documents to prove his competence to meet the public call’s eligibility criteria. However, as the Ministry detected in time that one of these documents could be false, it reported the suspects and therefore no funds were awarded to the companies. The investigation conducted by the EPPO confirmed this and revealed that actually all statements and documents proving the suspected entrepreneur’s experience were false. As these false documents were provided to the companies by said entrepreneur, he was also indicted for aiding and abetting the fraud. Had the suspected companies' applications been successful, they would have fraudulently obtained a total of €205 954.82 in EU funds. The investigation could count on the support of the Police Directorate of Maribor (Policijska uprava Maribor) that under the direction of the EPPO conducted evidence-gathering activities, including searches at the premises of the companies and examination of seized electronic devices.   more

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