EPPO Concludes Investigation into Fraudulent Use of Employment Funds in the Netherlands.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Rotterdam has successfully concluded an investigation into a fraudulent scheme involving employment funds meant to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Netherlands.

The inquiry focused on the misuse of European Social Fund (ESF) projects, which were designed to enhance sustainable employability for employees of SMEs.

Fraudulent Invoicing and Inflated Claims

The investigation revealed that a company involved in the scheme had submitted inflated invoices for advisory services related to sustainable employability. These services were co-financed by the ESF at a rate of 50%. For instance, while an advisory service valued at 10,000 was provided to an SME, the company fraudulently invoiced 20,000, thereby requesting and receiving 10,000 more than was warranted. This led to 10,000 in misappropriated funds being disbursed from the ESF to the implicated SMEs.

Confirmation of Fraud Across 36 Projects

Fraud was confirmed in 36 different projects, where subsidies were awarded based on false or inflated invoices. Thanks to the investigation, these fraudulent subsidies were successfully reclaimed, helping to mitigate the financial damage to the European Social Fund.

Investigation and Legal Actions

The fraud was initially uncovered by the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs (UVB), following an alert from the curator of the...

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