EU Public Prosecutor's Office Aims for Double the Investigations in 2023 🇪🇺
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) is anticipating a major surge in proceedings next year. Deputy European Chief Prosecutor Andrés Ritter revealed on Thursday in Berlin that the EPPO is expecting an almost doubling of investigations, from its current count. One major reason for this anticipated increase is the growing recognition of the authority's presence and influence, which has been active across 22 EU countries since July 2021 .
According to Ritter, the EPPO has seen a surge in criminal complaints from national authorities, rising by up to 60%. In 2022, the EPPO reported 3,318 criminal complaints and as many as 1,117 investigations . As an autonomous and decentralized authority, the EPPO is granted the power to prosecute offenses that endanger the EU budget, such as corruption, subsidy fraud, and customs violations.
Headquartered in Luxembourg, the European Public Prosecutor's Office is responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes such as fraudulent use of EU subsidies or contracts, as well as customs infringements and tax evasion schemes. The EU estimates that these crimes cost approximately €500 million annually .
With a clear mission to safeguard the EU's funds, Ritter, who serves as the EPPO's European Public Prosecutor for Germany, oversees a team of so-called Delegated European Public Prosecutors in various German cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Munich. Currently, the team consists of 11 lawyers but will see its ranks expand to 21 by next year .
What sets the EPPO apart from other authorities is its ability to operate across borders without the need for complex legal assistance requests in each respective country. European employees are stationed in-country to coordinate joint investigations, ultimately streamlining the process and reducing the burden on local law enforcement agencies .
To date, the EPPO has initiated 87 charges in their pursuit of justice, with 20 resulting in final convictions, as of December 31, 2022 . The estimated losses resulting from these investigations stand at €14.1 billion . In Berlin, a trial is currently underway against a suspected fraudulent gang accused of evading close to €80 million in sales tax using elaborate luxury car and medical mask scams .
Enrichment Insights
- Since its inception in 2021, the EPPO has grown its caseload twice, reaching 1,927 active investigations by 2023.
- 339 VAT fraud cases, estimated to have caused around €11.5 billion in damages, are being handled by the EPPO in 2023.
- The EPPO focuses on high-profile fraud networks and organized crime with links to EU financial interests.
- The EPPO has successfully addressed cases such as the Admiral (€4 billion), the Moby Dick (€35 million), and Silk Road cases, leading to the seizure of significant assets.
[2]: European Parliament's opinion document, as cited in the enrichment data.
