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EPPO Luxembourg assumes control of an investigation into procurement fraud linked to a political party

EPPO in Luxembourg has taken over an investigation from the Luxembourg State Prosecutor into a political party suspected of procurement fraud, document forgery, and ML. This inquiry stemming from a spring 2023 audit, focuses on two contracts awarded to the party by the Luxembourgish National Reception Office in 2016 and 2017, aimed at developing a language translation tool for refugees…

OECD publishes two-year follow-up on Italy’s progress in implementing the Anti-Bribery Convention

The report described Italy’s efforts to implement the 48 recommendations and to address the follow-up issues identified during its Phase 4 evaluation of October 2022. In sum, Italy has fully implemented 18 recommendations, partially implemented another 7 and not implemented 23.

EPPO Bulgaria accuses former mayor and ex-governor in an investigation into possible fraud, involving the reconstruction of a fishing port

The four are accused of forging official documents and submitting false information, in order to illegally receive EU funds for a €3.4 million project, co-funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. At issue is a project to improve the infrastructure of an existing fishing port in the outskirts of Varna, submitted by the Municipality of Varna (the beneficiary). However, according to the investigation, such a port did not exist when the application for EU funding was submitted…

EPPO Romania indicts five individuals for misuse of funds from programmes for the inclusion of Roma communities, co-funded by the EU

The Municipality of Deda (the beneficiary of the funds) launched procurement procedures, under which three contracts were concluded. According to the investigation, the defendants colluded to present simulated bids, so that the contracts would be granted to a pre-selected company – thus misleading the mayor of Deda, who, acting without guilt, submitted the applications to the managing authority.

EPPO Croatia arrests four individuals on suspicion of abuse of office and subsidy fraud in case involving family farms

The first suspect was – at the time of alleged fraudulent acts – an employee of the Paying Agency for Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development. He allegedly used the username and password of another employee of the Agency and, without legal basis, entered false data in the appropriate system. By doing so, he overstated the size of the family farms owned by himself and the three other suspects and thus presenting a larger agricultural area eligible for subsidies from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)…

GRECO urges Slovakia to make tangible progress to prevent corruption and strengthen integrity in Govt and police

This high-level visit followed the finding by GRECO in December 2023 that the Slovak Republic had not demonstrated sufficient progress in the implementation of the recommendations addressed to the country under its 5th Evaluation Round, triggering the application of GRECO’s non-compliance procedure…

 

 

GRECO evaluates anti-corruption progress in Ireland examining the effectiveness of measures aimed at preventing corruption among individuals holding top executive functions

Concludes that Ireland has satisfactorily implemented one of the eighteen recommendations set out in the evaluation report. Four recommendations have been partly implemented and thirteen have not been implemented.

 

Basel Institute blogs on ‘What do Bulgarian citizens think about corruption, integrity and anti-corruption efforts?’

Basel carried out a public perception survey together with Global Metrics. The survey reveals that although corruption remains a top public concern in the country, citizens: are mostly unaware of any government anti-corruption reform initiatives; are not likely to report corrupt behaviour; and are increasingly losing trust in the democratic system of governance.

TI EU commends the European Court of Justice for its ruling, stating that the European Parliament failed to adequately protect a whistleblower

Corruption thrives when those affected by it fear they will lose their jobs or be punished when they speak up. Despite MEPs adopting numerous resolutions, most recently in the wake of Qatargate, to bring their rules in line with the EU’s Whistleblower Directive, the Parliament has failed to ensure this. The Court’s decision must be the catalyst that finally prompts the Parliament to put robust whistleblower protection in place…

OECD report on combatting high-level corruption in Eastern Europe highlights the challenge of addressing corruption among top officials and weak institutional frameworks

The report calls for enhanced anti-corruption measures, including better enforcement of laws and increased transparency. It also provides recommendations for reforming legal and institutional frameworks to better combat high-level corruption and improve governance…

GRECO publishes a report evaluating how Kazakhstan has addressed and implemented its recommendations on anti-corruption measures

The report assesses Kazakhstan’s compliance with the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption standards regarding the independence, powers and means available to national bodies responsible for the prevention and fight against corruption, the extent and scope of immunities from investigation and prosecution for corruption offences, possibilities for seizure and confiscation of proceeds of corruption, corruption within the public administration, and the liability of legal persons for corruption offences…

GRECO urges Italy to improve the effectiveness of its system to promote integrity and prevent corruption in the government and the law enforcement authorities

The Fifth Round Mutual Evaluation report considers the effectiveness of the framework in place in Italy to prevent corruption among persons with top executive functions and members of the State Police, the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza.

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