04/04/2024 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 4 April, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the seizure in the Venice region of assets worth a total of €600 million as part of an investigation carried out in Italy, Austria, Romania and Slovakia into subsidy fraud under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the financial arm of the Next Generation EU Recovery Plan. The investigation, which led to 22 arrests, uncovered a fraudulent scheme to obtain funds under Italy’s post-Covid recovery plan between 2021 and 2023. This system, which used sophisticated technologies such as cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence, was based on grant applications designed to stimulate the digitalisation and international expansion of fictitious SMEs. (MB)