A specialized police operation was carried out on May 15 under the supervision of the prosecutor's office. The actions were carried out by employees of the Main Directorate "Combating Organized Crime" on the territory of the regions of Sofia, Pernik, Plovdiv, Dobrich, Kyustendil and Stara Zagora, the Ministry of the Interior announced, as quoted by FOCUS.
In the course of actions to uncover and document misuse of European funds, five participants in the criminal scheme were detained. According to the data, so far they have been investigated for presenting false information in order to receive more funds from European Union funds and those from the Bulgarian state, intended for co-financing projects.
As a result of the operative work, it was established that two of the detainees are registered farmers who have a contract with the State Fund "Agriculture" on a biosecurity project.
According to initial data in connection with the implementation of the project, they concluded contracts with third parties for the purchase of agricultural machinery and equipment from commercial companies at higher prices. The goal was to increase the value of the approved support and return the written value under a preliminary agreement in cash or through fictitious contracts.
In the course of the investigation, agricultural equipment and documentation related to the criminal activity were found. Work on the case continues under the direction of the prosecutor's office.