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11/06/2026   European Public Prosecutor's Office News

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France: Seven convicted of €1.13 million fraud involving energy-renovation scheme MaPrimeRénov’ In French below / En français ci-dessous (Luxembourg, 11 June 2026) – Seven people were convicted this week over a €1.13 million fraud involving French energy-renovation scheme MaPrimeRénov’, following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Paris (France). MaPrimeRénov’ is a French government programme, partly funded by the EU under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), that provides financial support for energy-efficiency renovations in residential buildings. The Paris Criminal Court found seven defendants guilty of fraud committed by an organised criminal group to unlawfully obtain public funds. They were sentenced to prison terms of up to three years, two years of which were suspended in certain cases, as well as fines ranging from €10 000 to €400 000. The court also ordered them to jointly repay the amounts unduly obtained, totalling approximately €1.13 million, to the National Housing Agency (Agence nationale de l’habitat – ANAH). Assets seized during the investigation were confiscated, totalling approximately €595 000. The fraud was committed by an organised criminal group in France, in the Grand Est region, between 1 August 2022 and 9 June 2023. Several company managers and door-to-door sales agents took part in the large-scale fraud scheme involving the submission of fraudulent grant applications to the ANAH, for the purpose of carrying out energy audits. The investigations revealed that the applications contained forged documents, and that the audits had either not been carried out or had been conducted under irregular circumstances by door-to-door sales agents with no relevant qualifications. The judgment, issued on 8 June 2026, may be subject to appeal. All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final decision of the competent French courts. 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   France : sept personnes condamnées pour une fraude de 1,13 million d’euros impliquant le dispositif de rénovation énergétique MaPrimeRénov’ (Luxembourg, le 11 juin 2026) – Sept personnes ont été condamnées cette semaine pour une fraude de 1,13 million d’euros impliquant le dispositif français de rénovation énergétique MaPrimeRénov’, à l’issue d’une enquête menée par le Parquet européen (EPPO) à Paris (France). MaPrimeRénov’ est un programme cofinancé par la France et l’Union européenne, dans le cadre de la facilité pour la reprise et la résilience (FRR), qui accorde un soutien financier aux travaux de rénovation énergétique des bâtiments résidentiels. Le tribunal correctionnel de Paris a déclaré sept prévenus coupables d’escroquerie en bande organisée visant à obtenir indûment des fonds publics. Ils ont été condamnés à des peines d’emprisonnement pouvant aller jusqu’à trois ans, dont deux ans assortis du sursis dans certains cas, ainsi qu’à des amendes comprises entre 10 000 et 400 000 euros. Le tribunal a également ordonné leur condamnation solidaire au remboursement des sommes indûment perçues, d’un montant total d’environ 1,13 million d’euros, à l’Agence nationale de l’habitat (ANAH). Les avoirs saisis au cours de l’enquête ont été confisqués, pour un montant d’environ 595 000 euros. La fraude a été commise en France, dans la région Grand Est, entre le 1er août 2022 et le 9 juin 2023, par un groupe criminel organisé. Plusieurs dirigeants d’entreprises ainsi que des démarcheurs à domicile ont participé à ce système de fraude de grande ampleur consistant à déposer auprès de l’ANAH de fausses demandes de subvention destinées à la réalisation d’audits énergétiques. Les investigations ont révélé que ces demandes contenaient des documents falsifiés et que les audits n’avaient soit jamais été réalisés, soit l’avaient été dans des conditions irrégulières par des démarcheurs à domicile ne disposant pas des qualifications requises. Le jugement, rendu le 8 juin 2026, est susceptible d’appel. Toutes les personnes concernées sont présumées innocentes jusqu’à ce que leur culpabilité ait été établie par une décision définitive des juridictions françaises compétentes. Le Parquet européen est le parquet indépendant de l’Union européenne. Il est chargé d’enquêter, de poursuivre et de renvoyer en jugement les infractions portant atteinte aux intérêts financiers de l’Union européenne.   more   Czechia: Ten suspects plead guilty to fraud involving road cleaning and marketing services (Luxembourg, 12 June 2026) – Ten suspects have pleaded guilty to public procurement fraud, in an investigation into suspected corruption in the award of public contracts for road cleaning and marketing services, led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Ostrava (Czechia).The case concerns procurement fraud in connection with small-scale tenders organised in the period from 2020 till 2023 by two public entities in the Moravian-Silesian Region: the Road Administration of the Moravian-Silesian Region and the Moravian Energy Centre. The tenders, which were partly financed by EU funds, related to road cleaning and marketing services. The tendering procedures are understood to have been manipulated to favour pre-selected bidders, who paid bribes in order to secure the contracts. All suspects charged earlier in this investigation pleaded guilty. One of the accused is a former Deputy Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region. A plea agreement has been reached with the former public official, stipulating a suspended prison sentence of three years and a probationary period of five years, subject to court approval. He will also be prohibited from receiving subsidies and from participating in public procurement procedures for a period of five years. In addition, he agreed to paying a financial penalty of around €103 000 (CZK 2 500 000). The former public official has also repaid €20 000 (CZK 500 000) of the €29 000 (CZK 700 000) of the total damage caused. The remaining was compensated by other suspects. Nine other accused persons agreed to a combination of suspended sentences and financial penalties. In addition, some will be subject to bans on receiving subsidies and participating in public procurement procedures. Finally, the criminal proceedings were conditionally discontinued for three additional suspects, accused of subsidy fraud and attempted credit fraud. Each of them is required to pay €2 000 (CZK 50 000) to support victims of crime. The total amount of financial penalties agreed upon with all the accused amounts to €311 000 (CZK 7 525 000). The plea agreements will be submitted to the Regional Court in Ostrava in the coming days and are subject to approval.   more   European Public Prosecutor's Office - 11 Avenue John F. Kennedy, Luxembourg, 1855 Luxembourg Italy: Searches and seizures in EPPO investigation into suspected subsidy fraud involving municipal park project (Luxembourg, 11 June 2026) – On behalf of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Rome (Italy), the Carabinieri Command for Forestry (Carabinieri Forestali) of Frosinone and the Carabinieri Ecological Operational Units (N.O.E.) of Rome and Latina carried out searches and seizures in Cassino, in an investigation into EU subsidy fraud involving a municipal park. At issue is a project concerning the redevelopment and landscaping of the municipal park in Cassino, funded by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The tender specifications required the supply and installation of high-quality cultivated soil meeting specific technical standards, and the corresponding costs were included in the project budget. The evidence shows that, instead of the soil foreseen under the contract, the companies involved used approximately 6 886 cubic metres of material resulting from the mechanical processing of construction and demolition debris. According to the investigation, this material should have been classified as waste under national legislation and did not comply with the technical requirements of the project. The suspected substitution enabled the beneficiaries to claim reimbursement for works that were not carried out in accordance with the conditions under which the EU funding amounting to €230 000 was awarded. The Judge for Preliminary Investigations in Cassino (Lazio) placed the municipal park under seizure and ordered the seizure of ten trucks that were used for the transport of the soil and other public works as well. Searches were carried out at locations linked to the suspects, including the premises of the companies under investigation, to gather evidence related to the supply of the material. Three administrative and technical managers are currently under investigation.   more