European Public Prosecutor's Office accused the mayor of Petrich for fraud with EU funds

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Sofia (Bulgaria) has formally accused the mayor of Petrich, a municipality at the border with Greece, for his suspected fraudulent involvement in the construction of a museum, funded by the EU. This was announced by the institution in Luxembourg on March 25.

The investigation concerns a project to convert an existing building into a museum, part of the “Cultural Dipole in Cross-Border Area” initiative. It is co-financed for €646 857,59 by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the 2014-2020 INTERREG V-A Greece-Bulgaria Cooperation Programme and aims to showcase the shared cultural heritage of Bulgaria and Greece, the statement says.

The evidence in the pre-trial proceedings shows that the mayor of a Bulgarian municipality concealed the fact that the building was demolished by a third person before the start of the reconstruction works and that the museum was built as an entirely new building. By hiding this information, the mayor violated his obligations under the partnership agreement between the Bulgarian and Greek municipalities.

The case was reported by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).