WRITTEN QUESTION E-3815/03 by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission. Judicial inquiry by the Salerno Prosecutor's Office into EUR 30 million fraud against the European Union.
Date: 2003-12-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, European Anti-fraud Office, Italy, State aid, economic offence, fraud against the EU, judicial inquiry

C 78 E/648

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

(cid:1) the money was used to pay for illegal activities of Cosa Nostra;

(cid:1) the three individuals had, through a number of companies, applied for EU funds from the Ministry for
Industry to set up new companies at a cost of approximately EUR 6 million; of this amount, around
EUR 2,5 million was granted and paid out;

(cid:1) investigations begain in 2001; to obtain the amounts in question the three individuals produced

totally fictitious documents;

(cid:1) the three persons under arrest, who own various businesses dealing with tyre sales, had requested and
obtained almost EUR 2,5 million to set up a tyre recucling plant in a shed. However, there was no
machinery in this shed (cid:1) which had been the object of a preventive confiscation order in previous
years (cid:1) and nothing had been produced.

Will the Commission state:

(cid:1) whether it is aware of these facts and, if so, what action it has taken or intends to take on the matter?

(cid:1) whether OLAF has been informed of the matter and, if so, whether it has initiated or intends to

initiate an investigation?

Answer given by Ms Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(27 January 2004)

The Commission can inform the Honourable Member that the European Antifraud Office (OLAF) is aware
that the Italian authorities are conducting a judicial investigation into alleged instances of fraud against the
Union.

As judicial proceedings are already in motion in Italy, at the Prosecution Service for Palermo, OLAF is
available to provide the judicial authorities with all such assistance as they may request.

(2004/C 78 E/0689)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3815/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(11 December 2003)

Subject: Judicial inquiry by the Salerno Prosecutor’s Office into EUR 30 million fraud against the European

Union

On 2 December 2003 the AGI Italian press agency published a report entitled ‘EUR 30 million fraud
against the EU: seven arrested in the Salerno region’. According to this report:

(cid:1) an organisation which illegally obtained state and Community funding has been dismantled by the

regional branch of the Guardia di Finanza police, who arrested seven people;

(cid:1) investigations were coordinated by the Salerno Public Prosecutor’s Office;

(cid:1) companies and property amounting to EUR 100 million were confiscated in the country;

(cid:1) the people under investigation had set up a group of interconnected companies which had received

funding between 1997 and 2003 amounting to EUR 30 million;

(cid:1) the organisation, which could count on the cooperation of

the Ministry for
Productive Activities, had claimed public funds to cover false expenditure, based on forged accounts
and off-accounts documents.

three officials at

27.3.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/649

Will the Commission state:

(cid:1) whether it is aware of these facts and, if so, what action it has taken or intends to take on the matter?

(cid:1) whether OLAF has been informed of the matter and, if so, whether it has initiated or intends to

initiate an investigation?

Answer given by Ms Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(27 January 2004)

The Commission can inform the Honourable Member that the European Antifraud Office (OLAF) is aware
that the Italian authorities are conducting a judicial investigation into alleged instances of fraud against the
Union.

As judicial proceedings are already in motion in Italy, at the Prosecution Service for Salerno, OLAF is
available to provide the judicial authorities with all such assistance as they may request.

(2004/C 78 E/0690)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3816/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(11 December 2003)

Subject: Judicial inquiry by the Lecce Prosecutor’s Office into EUR 6 million fraud against the European

Union

An article appeared on 22 November 2003 on the website of the daily newspaper ‘La Gazzetta del
Mezzogiorno’ entitled ‘EUR 6 million fraud in Salento aganist the EU’:

(cid:1) according to the article, three people had been arrested for criminal conspiracy, aggravated fraud

against the European Community amounting to around EUR 6 million and fictitious invoices;

(cid:1) the case allegedly concerns contributions received illicitly, on the basis of Law 488, for the fictitious

purchase of machinery through forged invoices substantiated by fake expert evaluations;

(cid:1) Community funds amounting to some EUR 6 million were apparently received by means of these

invoices.

Will the Commission state:

(cid:1) whether it is aware of these facts and, if so, what action it has taken or intends to take on the matter?

(cid:1) whether OLAF has been informed of the matter and, if so, whether it has initiated or intends to

initiate an investigation?

Answer given by Ms Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(26 January 2004)

The Commission can inform the Honourable Member that the European Antifraud Office (OLAF) is aware
that the Italian authorities are conducting a judicial investigation into alleged instances of fraud against the
Union.

As judicial proceedings are already in motion in Italy, at the Prosecution Service for Lecce, OLAF is
available to provide the judicial authorities with all such assistance as they may request.