Corruption in agriculture: Ex-President Colombani condemned!

Corruption in agriculture: Ex-President Colombani condemned!

In a recent decision, the Cour d'appel de Bastia the former president of the Chambre d’agriculture de Haute-Corse, Joseph Colombani, was sentenced to nine months in prison for fraud. However, this sentence can be served under an electronic ankle bracelet. What surprises many people is that Colombani does not have to deal with the ineligibility that was actually in the room.

The allegations against Colombani are not without their own merits. Between 2012 and 2015 he is said to have received a subsidy of 15,000 euros for which he was not eligible. This was done through post-dated invoices that were identified as counterfeit. A report by the EU Anti-Operations Office (OLAF) brought the activities to light in December 2020 and criminal proceedings were subsequently opened.

The background to the investigation

Joseph Colombani, who had a history of run-ins with the law, was brought to justice following an OLAF report that uncovered false and forged invoices. Loud France 3 The frauds took place during his term in office between October 2012 and September 2015. Not only private interests were pursued: the company Furnicella, which belongs to Colombani, was also involved in the disputed transactions and received a total of 15,550 euros in unlawful subsidies.

The court in Bastia found itself mired in a morass of evidence presented by the prosecution, including reports of deliberate forgery by Colombani. He himself vehemently denied the allegations and announced that he would file an appeal within ten days.

Fraud in EU agricultural subsidies on a very large scale

The incidents surrounding Joseph Colombani are not the only ones of their kind. Meanwhile, Greek authorities are investigating over 1,000 farmers for fraud with EU agricultural subsidies totaling 22.6 million euros. Not only fake information on agricultural land, but also the delegation of subsidies to unauthorized recipients are commonplace stern.de reported. A fascinating but worrying picture emerges here: How many people have to fight for a living while others make a profit through fraud?

How the situation will develop for Joseph Colombani remains to be seen. His defense has questioned the approach, arguing that the proceedings were excessive and delayed. The next few days could be exciting, both for Colombani and for the farmers who have also become the focus of investigations.