WRITTEN QUESTION E-3813/03 by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission. Judicial inquiry by the Venice Prosecutor's Office into use of Community funds for the agricultural sector.
Date: 2003-12-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, European Anti-fraud Office, Italy, economic offence, fraud against the EU, judicial inquiry, medical plant

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/647

(2004/C 78 E/0687)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3813/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(11 December 2003)

Subject: Judicial inquiry by the Venice Prosecutor’s Office into use of Community funds for the agricultural

sector

An article appeared on 26 November 2003 on the Vivacity Belluno website, entitled ‘Puglia businessman
arrested for fraud against the EU’. According to the article:

(cid:1) three people were arrested for involvement in aggravated and repeated fraud to obtain national and
Community funding, aggravated and repeated falsification by a private citizen in an official act, with
the aggravating circumstance of causing serious prejudice to the body concerned;

(cid:1) the three individuals concerned had, according to the information gathered by the Guardia di Finanza
police, set up and managed many organisations and companies in the Veneto, Lazio and Puglia
regions, producing and selling ‘dehydrated medicinal herbs’, thanks to substantial Community aid;

(cid:1) the organisations were used to invoice or take delivery of consignments of medicinal herbs, through
which the three individuals illegally obtained in 2002 alone funds from the AGEA (Agenzia per le
erogazioni in agricoltura) amounting to EUR 500 000;

(cid:1) the sums to be refunded, added to the administrative penalties and sums owed by the companies for
failing to monitor the activities of their own administrators, as well as ordinary and revaluation
interest, amount to a minimum of EUR 1 300 000 and a maximum of EUR 1 900 000.

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 a company for alleged aggravated
and repeated fraud to obtain national and Community grants and aggravated and repeated falsification.

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

(2004/C 78 E/0688)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3814/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(11 December 2003)

Subject: Judicial

inquiry by the Palermo Prosecutor’s Office into EUR 6,5 million fraud against

the

European Union

An article appeared on 7 November 2003 on the website of the daily newspaper ‘La Gazzetta del
Mezzogiorno’ entitled ‘EUR 6,5 million fraud against the EU to finance Cosa Nostra’. According to the
article:

(cid:1) three people charged with fraud against the EU amounting to EUR 6,5 million were arrested by the

‘Guardia di Finanzia’ police in Palermo;