Vilnius (Monitoring Desk): The European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Lithuania has charged 12 people with alleged financial fraud and document forgery involving two projects funded by the European Union.
According to officials, the alleged offences are estimated to have caused losses of more than €1.3 million. The suspects are also accused of attempting to obtain an additional €500,000 in funding, although the money was never disbursed.
The investigation is being conducted by Lithuania’s Financial Crime Investigation Service. This week, 100 officers from the agency carried out searches at 25 locations across the counties of Klaipėda, Kaunas, Marijampolė and Vilnius. So far, statements have also been recorded from 64 witnesses.
According to the investigation, one of the projects under scrutiny was launched in 2019 through a company registered in Klaipėda. Its objective was to train 180 employees over two years to improve their professional qualifications and work-related skills.
The project received financial support under Lithuania’s European Union Funds Investment Action Programme for the 2014–2020 period.
Authorities suspect that forged documents were submitted alongside payment claims to obtain the funding. These allegedly included lists of people who had participated in the training programme. The suspected fraud is believed to have caused approximately €270,000 in losses to the European Union budget.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the case.