A European prosecutor opened four new investigations in Malta with estimated damages of €30 million.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said in its annual report that the total number of active investigations has now risen to 12.
EPPO is tasked with investigating fraud and corruption cases that damage the financial interests of the European Union. The estimated total financial damage in the 12 cases being investigated in Malta stands at €160 million, €108 million of which is attributed to fraud.
Five of the cases being probed by the European prosecutor involve criminality in other EU countries.
A total of €12.1 million in asset freezing orders were issued last year in connection with the active investigations, EPPO said in the annual report.
The European prosecutor has been involved in a number of high-profile cases in over the past months.
Last week, a Maltese businessman was remanded in custody after refusing to consent to his extradition to Sweden where he is wanted in connection with a Europe-wide investigation into a €195 million VAT fraud case. Mohan Bharwani was one of 14 individuals who are believed to have orchestrated the massive VAT fraud, spanning across 17 countries.
Former Infrastructure Malta boss Fredrick Azzopardi has also been the subject of an EPPO probe, in connection with his role in the Marsa flyover project.
Sources close to the probe said EPPO is seeking to establish whether Azzopardi received money from murder suspect Yorgen Fenech or anyone else linked to the €40 million flyover project.
Azzopardi strongly denies any suggestion of wrongdoing.
Last year, chief prosecutor Laura Kövesi urged the Maltese authorities to dedicate more resources towards EPPO investigations.
Kövesi had told Times of Malta that that while detection and reporting of potential cases has improved, EPPO’s two Maltese prosecutors needed more police support to handle their investigations.
According to EPPO’s annual report, Malta has yet to ratchet up any prosecutions in the cases it is investigating.