€440m frozen in Italy over suspect scam by fake farmers
Three people connected to Italian businesses allegedly made bogus claims more than €375,000 in EU agricultural funds between 2020 and 2023, of which €65,000 has already been drawn from Italy’s payment agency. The 368 hectares of farmland they claimed to own in order to receive the subsidies were not actually theirs, however, according to the authorities, belonging instead to the naval air station of Sigonella, for which the three suspects used to simply cut the grass. “That is why they were not allowed to use it for agricultural activities, but only to carry out the grass mowing service,” said...