Belarusian father and son convicted of EU subsidy fraud over satellite technology project
Two Belarusian citizens (father and son) and a company they controlled were found guilty of subsidy fraud in a project to develop high-precision satellite navigation devices for the agricultural sector, following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Vilnius (Lithuania).
The investigation, code-named ’Precision’, uncovered strong links between the defendants and Russian and Belarusian military industries, which are subject to EU restrictive measures.
At issue is a Lithuanian-based company that obtained EU funding to develop professional satellite navigation receivers capable of using Galileo’s High Accuracy Service (HAS) for agricultural applications, including guiding agricultural machinery and supporting precision farming operations, despite having links with Russian and Belarusian military industry entities, subject to EU restrictive measures. The total budget allocated to the project was €1 064 933.81, with €745 453.67 funded by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), of which €447 272 had been effectively disbursed.
In order to obtain the EU funding, the company had to submit a declaration of honour to the EUSPA, stating that it was not subject to any EU restrictive measures and had no links to sanctioned entities. The company, established in Lithuania as owned and managed by the defendants, changed ownership in April 2022, shortly after the Russian aggression against Ukraine. A family member with US citizenship and a Lithuanian national were appointed at its helm, in order to circumvent EU restrictions applicable to Belarusian nationals.
Politics Editor
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