EPPO Lithuania Charges 12 in €1.3M EU Project Fraud

(Luxembourg, 23 October 2026) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Vilnius (Lithuania) has charged twelve individuals in an investigation into suspected fraud and document forgery involving two EU-funded projects. The alleged offences are estimated to have caused more than €1.3 million in damage, and the suspects are also accused of attempting to obtain a further €500 000 in funding, which was not paid. The investigation is being carried out by Lithuania’s Financial Crime Investigation Service (Finansinių nusikaltimų tyrimo tarnyba - FNTT). This week, 100 FNTT officers conducted 25 searches across the counties of Klaipėda, Kaunas, Marijampolė, and Vilnius. 64 witnesses have also been interviewed. The first project, launched in 2019 by a company registered in Klaipėda, was intended to provide training for 180 employees over two years, improving their qualifications and work-related skills. It was funded under Lithuania’s 2014–2020 European Union Funds Investment Action Programme. It is suspected that forged documents, including lists of training participants, were submitted to support requests for payment. The alleged fraud is suspected to have caused nearly €270 000 in damage to the EU budget. The second project, launched in June 2024 and scheduled to run until December 2026, is intended to develop prototypes of transparent, fully recyclable plastic film designed to prevent oxygen from passing through it, helping protect packaged products. The project is funded by EU Structural Funds and the Lithuanian state budget, with a total estimated value of more than €1.5 million. More than €1.07 million had already been paid to those implementing the project. The investigation found indications that the project activities may not have been carried out or may have failed to comply with the approved conditions. Transfers of grant money already received between companies and individuals linked to the company were identified. The suspects are alleged to have caused further financial damage through the suspected misuse of project funding and to have attempted to obtain an additional €500 000 that had not yet been paid. Assets belonging to the suspects, valued at approximately €15 million, have been temporarily frozen. Two suspects were placed in pre-trial detention of two months. All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Lithuanian courts of law. 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.