By CARLO BOFFA, EU Correspondent
The president of a Canary Islands beekeepers’ association was found guilty of fraudulently obtaining EU and regional funds with false invoices.
The Central Criminal Court of the Audiencia Nacional gave the defendant a six-month suspended sentence on October 1, after the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Madrid indicted the defendant.
The judgment is now final, EPPO said on Wednesday.
The association received funds from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the Government of the Canary Islands to produce and market beekeeping products.
Investigators found payment requests totalling €34,441 for veterinary products. The requests relied on false invoices and on invoices from companies that were not authorised to sell veterinary drugs.
The defendant admitted the facts and repaid the full amount before the trial. The court also banned the defendant from receiving subsidies for nine months.
The Canary Islands count about 1,250 beekeepers with roughly 35,000 hives and host a rare breed of honey bee known as the Canary black bee.
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