The European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF has recommended the recovery of over EUR 38 million and the prevention of  the further spending of EUR 92 million provided to Bulgaria for the modernization of the railway line between Kostenets and Septemvri.

• Police arrest two people over misappropriation of European funds for railways

OLAF’s investigation focused on the financial damage caused by the alleged irregularities, notably during the procurement procedure and project implementation. According to OLAF’s investigation, two of the successful tenderers either lacked the technical capacities to implement the project or had misrepresented their financial capacities. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office’s (EPPO) investigation is ongoing and focuses on possible criminal offences – such as misuse of EU funds and money laundering – and includes a second railway project that the EPPO estimates at an additional EUR 111 million – the railway line Orizovo-Mihailovo.