The Judiciary Police (PJ) coordinated, in the districts of Lisbon and Funchal, an operation to combat fraud in the allocation of European funds for reforestation projects in Madeira, with damages estimated at more than 3.6 million euros, as part of an investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, and in which seven defendants, five natural persons and two legal persons were constituted.
According to a press release from the PJ’s national directorate, during the course of the investigation, management and capital domain relationships were detected between beneficiary entities and suppliers, within the scope of projects co-financed by the Portugal 2020 programme, likely to frame situations of conflict of interest.
In their statement, the PJ said, “the stakeholders are part of entities benefiting from operations that concern the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), through which the payment of 3,829,345.27 euros was requested and the approval and payment of incentives in the total amount of at least 3,675,231.87 euros was obtained.
During the “Scorched Earth” operation, 26 search and seizure warrants were carried out and executed by 58 inspectors and 15 scientific police specialists, in conjunction with two European delegated prosecutors.
According to the PJ, “the facts under investigation are likely to frame the practice of crimes of qualified fraud in obtaining a subsidy, economic participation in business, undue receipt of advantage, corruption, and laundering.
The Judiciary Police will continue, through the National Anti-Corruption Unit, the prevention and investigation activity that it has been pursuing in order to ensure the protection of the economic and financial interests of Portugal and the European Union.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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