VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – By the end of 2022, 14 projects done with European Union funds in Malta were being investigated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the European Union for allegations of fraud, corruption or money laundering.
The annual report of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office shows that Malta has the largest amount of fraud investigations among the member countries of the European Union, compared to the size of the population.
The projects that are under scrutiny have a value of 123.5 million, among which three projects are being investigated for alleged fraud related to the payment of VAT, and which between them amount to 70.5 million.
Among the other cases that are under investigation there are four regarding alleged corruption, two regarding fraud in the process of awarding the contracts (procurement) and another investigation regarding alleged money laundering.
The annual report also indicates that three investigations are about projects related to the agricultural sector and rural development, one about the maritime sector and programs related to fishing, as well as another related to mobility, transport, energy and digitization.
Among the projects being investigated is the €40 million contract linked to the Marsa Junction project, after details that became known when Yorgen Fenech’s mobile phone was confiscated.
The 14 investigations led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office mean a big leap in just one year, as in the previous year there was no open investigation against Malta.
-photo agenziafotogramma.it-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews