Special Prosecutor's Office Presses Charges against Antonino V.

Special Prosecutor's Office Presses Charges against Antonino V.

Bratislava, May 18 (TASR) – A prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday (May 17) filed an indictment against an Italian entrepreneur operating in eastern Slovakia, for legal purposes identified only as Antonino V., at the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok (Bratislava region), TASR was told by Special Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Jana Tokolyova on Friday.

The prosecutor pressed charges against the Italian regarding the attempted crime of damaging the financial interests of the European community and for attempted subsidy fraud.

According to Tokolyova, the charges concern an attempt to elicit EU funds totalling almost €120,000 from the Agricultural Payment Agency (PPA) through a company called Bio-Finis, where Antonino V. was an authorised representative. He allegedly engaged in deception when declaring obligations related to the terms of providing support to farmers.

“If the subsidy had been granted, PPA would have incurred total damages of €120,000, of which a portion would have been provided from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and from the European Agricultural Rural Development Fund – almost €109,000, while over €11,000 would have come from Slovakia’s state budget,” said Tokolyova.

[Antonino V., who is being prosecuted for drug-related crimes in Italy, was extradited to his native country on Tuesday. Investigative journalist Jan Kuciak wrote about the activities and contacts of the businessman in Slovakia shortly before he was murdered. – ed. note]