EPPO seizes Cassino municipal park in €230,000 EU subsidy fraud probe

12 June 2026 , 10:03

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EPPO seizes Cassino municipal park in €230,000 EU subsidy fraud probe

On behalf of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Rome (Italy), the Carabinieri Command for Forestry (Carabinieri Forestali) of Frosinone and the Carabinieri Ecological Operational Units (N.O.E.) of Rome and Latina conducted searches and seizures in Cassino as part of an investigation into EU subsidy fraud involving a municipal park.

The focus is on a project concerning the redevelopment and landscaping of the municipal park in Cassino, funded by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The tender specifications required the supply and installation of high-quality cultivated soil meeting specific technical standards, and the associated costs were included in the project budget.

The evidence indicates that, instead of the soil specified in the contract, the companies involved used approximately 6,886 cubic meters of material resulting from the mechanical processing of construction and demolition debris. According to the investigation, this material should have been classified as waste under national legislation and did not meet the project’s technical requirements. The alleged substitution enabled the beneficiaries to claim reimbursement for works that did not comply with the conditions under which the EU funding amounting to €230,000 was awarded.

The Judge for Preliminary Investigations in Cassino (Lazio) placed the municipal park under seizure and ordered the seizure of ten trucks used for transporting the soil and other public works as well. Searches were conducted at locations linked to the suspects, including the premises of the companies under investigation, to gather evidence related to the supply of the material. Three administrative and technical managers are currently under investigation.

All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Italian courts of law.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.

Thomas Brown

Head of Investigations