- Paris Criminal Court convicted three companies and two executives for fraud involving €275,800 in EU funding for a waste facility.
- Executives received suspended prison terms (11 and 10 months), €20,000 fines, and an 8-month bar from public office.
- Companies were sentenced to €275,800 in confiscation penalties; the full amount has been repaid.
- The investigation was launched after ONAF detected irregularities in funding applications in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
- Defendants admitted false declarations and money laundering via banking transactions; conviction followed a plea agreement.
Conviction in EU fraud case at the Paris Criminal Court
On 2 September 2026, the Paris Criminal Court convicted three French companies and their two executives for fraud involving €275,800 in EU funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The case was investigated by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Paris and the French Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF).
Sentencing
The two executives were sentenced to suspended prison sentences of eleven and ten months respectively. Each was also fined €20,000, with €10,000 suspended, and barred from holding elected public office for eight months. The three companies were sentenced to confiscation penalties totalling €275,800.
Background to the case
The investigation was launched after the Regional Council of Nouvelle-Aquitaine detected irregularities in documents submitted in support of an application for EU funding. According to the investigation, the main beneficiary company obtained €275,800 for the construction of a waste treatment and recycling facility in the French Basque Country by concealing the fact that construction works and related financial operations had started before the funding application was submitted. The company also submitted falsified quotations and invoices intended to present the expenditure as eligible under the grant conditions.
Admissions and repayment
The defendants admitted having made false declarations in order to fraudulently obtain EU funding and to have laundered the proceeds through banking transactions. The convicted individuals have repaid the full amount of the funding to the regional authority managing the ERDF programme in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Legal procedure
The convictions follow a plea agreement, which was approved by the court. The defendants have ten days to lodge an appeal. If no appeal is filed, the judgment will become final.
The role of the EPPO
The European Public Prosecutor's Office 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.