site.btaBulgarian Entrepreneur Fined for Attempted Subsidy Fraud after EPPO Investigation

The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) said in a press release on Thursday that, following an EPPO investigation, an entrepreneur was fined by the Sofia Regional Court for attempted subsidy fraud and forgery of documents involving a car repair shop.

The defendant, acting on behalf of her company, had applied to the State Fund Agriculture for EUR 200,000 (BGN 391,159) funding to build and equip a car repair shop, 85% of which was to be granted by the European Union and 15% by the Bulgarian State.

The investigation established that the defendant had submitted forged documents, including false certificates of education, falsified building permits and forged offers to purchase equipment, in order to obtain the funds.
 
The funds were not paid out, preventing a damage of EUR 200,000 to the EU and Bulgaria's national budget.
 
The court fined the entrepreneur BGN 3,000 (approximately EUR 1,500). This penalty resulted from a plea bargaining agreement, as the defendant pleaded guilty to all charges, and there was no material damage to the EU budget, the press release explained.