A total of PLN 44 million defrauded from PARP - further charges in the investigation
In the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Gdańsk, four persons heard charges of acting in an organised crime group and extorting EU funds.
The CBA Regional Office in Gdańsk, along with the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Gdańsk, has been investigating alleged extortion of PLN 44 million of EU funds by two furniture companies in the years 2013-2016. The funds originated from the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development programme entitled “Innovative Economy for 2009-2013”. The programme of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development was aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises.
The evidence gathered in the course of the investigation indicates that multi-million PLN grants were obtained by companies set up to defraud subsidies by using inaccurate documents. Moreover, as it was established in the course of the investigation, after signing an agreement for co-financing from PARP, the beneficiaries' representatives came into agreement with the representatives of the manufacturers of machines and devices, who, acting together and in cooperation with them, overestimated the amounts due for a given device to extort higher amounts of financial support. As a result of the investigators' findings, in the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Gdańsk, four persons - employees of the companies participating in the practice - heard charges of acting in an organised crime group and extorting EU funds.
The investigation has been conducted in more than a dozen threads, in which 44 people have already been charged. In June 2019, 18 suspects were detained in connection with the alleged extortion of subsidies of over PLN 27 million. The entity that applied for and consequently obtained the support was a commercial law company seated in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship that conducted business in the field of furniture production. The detainees were then charged with leading or participating in an organised crime group, extortion of funds in the amount of over PLN 27 million and "money laundering".
As a result of further activities, charges were brought against 26 more persons.
As regards some of the threads, the materials were excluded to separate proceedings and ended with indictments.
In the threads concerning extortion of subsidies from PARP, property of the suspects worth over PLN 18 million was secured.
Public Relations Division of the CBA
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Fot. © BrianAJackson / Photogenica
