EPPO investigates church restoration on suspicion of subsidy fraud in Bulgaria

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, ten searches were conducted in Sofia on Wednesday as part of an investigation into suspected subsidy fraud related to the restoration of a church funded by the EU.

During the searches, conducted in Burgas, Petrich, Rila and Sofia, documents and evidence were seized.

The facts date back to 2017, when a public procurement procedure was conducted for a project to restore wall paintings and architectural details of a church dating back to the 12th century, financed by the EU’s INTERREG IPA Cross Border Cooperation Programme. The church is considered a historical and cultural monument in Bulgaria, EPPO said.

According to the investigation, the company that won the bid did not have the expertise required in the public procedure, and sub-contracted the works to another company. However, the subcontractor did not have the necessary technical skills, either, and subcontracted a third company, which had the required expertise and executed the restoration.

The amount of the support for the restoration was €198 000. Based on the evidence, the first contractor received the total amount, and only paid €70 000 to the subcontractors – thus keeping €128 000 without performing any activities under the project, to the detriment of the EU’s financial interests, the EPPO statment reads.