Luxembourg - The Maribor Local Court issued a verdict at the beginning of the month in the first case of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Slovenia. Two individuals and one legal entity were found guilty of attempted fraud to the detriment of the EU budget, the EPPO said in a press release on Monday.

The two defendants, directors of two companies, acted in complicity and submitted false statements and documents to a public tender from the Infrastructure Ministry, to co-finance the purchase and installation of devices for producing electricity in a project funded by the EU Cohesion Fund.

Thus, the two defendants tried to mislead the ministry in order to obtain EUR 31,300 in grants for the company led by one of the defendants. However, the ministry discovered the attempted fraud in time, and did not pay out the grant.

The pair were handed suspended sentences of seven months in prison with a probation period of two years. The accused company was slapped with a fine of EUR 10,000, with a probationary period of two years.

The verdict is not final yet.

The EPPO has been operational since June 2021.