STS Imposes Fine of €20,000 on Dolny Bar Mayor for EU Subsidy Fraud

Banska Bystrica, February 5 (TASR) - The Specialised Criminal Court (STS) in Banska Bystrica on Thursday sentenced Oskar B. (name abbreviated due to legal reasons), the mayor of the village of Dolny Bar (Trnava region), to pay a fine amounting to €20,000. The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) had filed charges against him concerning fraud involving an EU subsidy for constructing a cycle route. The defendant denied the charges. The verdict isn't yet final. "An STS judge found Oskar B. guilty of the ongoing crime of harming the financial interests of the European Union at the stage of attempt, in concurrence with the ongoing crime of subsidy fraud, and imposed a total fine of €20,000 on him. "If he fails to pay the fine, the court imposed an alternative sentence of six months in prison," Maria Horakova of STS has told TASR. According to the indictment, in 2018 Oskar B. applied for a subsidy of some €758,000 for constructing a cycle route, 85 percent of which should have been covered from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). He submitted payment applications for the purchase and use of construction materials in 2021. He partly used fake documents in the applications, declaring the purchase of construction materials that were more expensive than the gravel and sand extracted during the revitalisation of a nearby pond, which was also covered from EU funds. The requested payment was ultimately not made, as an on-site inspection by the EPPO revealed discrepancies between some of the materials claimed and those actually used. According to the EPPO, the defendant by his actions caused potential damage of almost €95,000, some €85,000 from the ERDF and the remaining €10,000 from national funds. The trial of the mayor of Dolny Bar began last November. His lawyer at the time claimed that the indictment was groundless, and Oskar B. pleaded not guilty. ko/df