Police Took Action in Relation to Kosice Region's Environmental Project

Bratislava, July 10 (TASR) - The police took action in the districts of Kosice and Zvolen (Banska Bystrica region) at the beginning of the week as part of an operation called Colombia, TASR was told by spokesman for the Police Corps Presidium Roman Hajek on Thursday. The case is related to a contract on the provision of a non-refundable financial contribution between Kosice self-governing region and the Environment Ministry represented by the Slovak Environment Agency for a project worth more than €4.5 million. "The investigation concerns a serious crime of damaging the financial interests of the European Union (EU) and a subsidy fraud," said Hajek. The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), which is overseeing the case, has launched a criminal investigation into the matter. "Despite the fact that the work wasn't carried out to the agreed extent and on the declared area, the full amount was paid to the contractor. According to the findings so far, damage of almost €3.5 million has been caused to European Union funds and over €400,000 to Slovakia's state budget," stated Hajek, adding that the perpetrators face a prison sentence of three to ten years. "The police are intensively continuing the investigation. We'll provide further information as soon as the situation allows," added the spokesman. Kosice region carried out in 2023 a project worth €4.5 million through EU funds to protect and restore biodiversity in the forests around the towns of Dobsina and Gelnica in Kosice region. Kosice region governor Rastislav Trnka reported that in selected locations of the forests on an area of 2,500 hectares, works and technological solutions based on the principle of disturbing compacted soil with an excavator were implemented. "Before this step, up to 60 percent of the rainwater drained from the forests without any benefit; thanks to the measures, almost 100 percent remained. This has increased the groundwater supply in the forests, which is the basis for strengthening biodiversity," said Trnka. He presented the project in October 2024 at a biodiversity conference in Cali, Colombia. He attended the South American event as a member of the European Committee of the Regions delegation. "The European Union took notice of our unique and innovative project, which was implemented in the forests of the Gemer and Spis areas, probably on the largest scale in the world," said the Kosice region head at that time. am