EU probes alleged €175,000 fraud in Italian veterinary funds

European authorities, through the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), have initiated the seizure of assets totaling €175,000 in Sicily, Italy. This action stems from an alleged fraud scheme involving EU funds designated for veterinary disease control and public health initiatives. The EPPO claims that three senior public officials, working within a public institute responsible for veterinary health, exploited their positions to funnel these public resources to a private organization that they controlled. According to the EPPO's allegations, this private organization mimicked the functions of the legitimate public body, creating an appearance of legitimacy while duplicating responsibilities. The suspects are believed to have manipulated the management of veterinary disease prevention activities from the public sector to their private entity between 2022 and 2025, aiming to secure illicit personal gains. A judge at the Court of Palermo has ordered the asset seizure to compensate for the estimated damage to the EU budget. The EPPO emphasized that all individuals involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This investigation is not the first of its kind in Sicily involving the EPPO. Earlier in the year, a separate probe into agricultural fund fraud led to arrests and the seizure of €1.4 million in assets. That investigation focused on allegations of fictitious companies being used to fraudulently obtain funds from Italy's National Reserve under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) between 2018 and 2022, with suspects allegedly falsely claiming land ownership.