BRATISLAVA, March 26, (WEBNOVINY) – A group of scammers collected from investors more than four million euros in the name of the Economy Ministry. Minister Juraj Miskov (SaS) told a news conference on Monday that the fraudsters deceived eight Austrian investors, who wanted to participate in projects of thermal insulation in buildings in Slovakia. “The Economy Ministry has nothing in common with projects of this kind,” Miskov emphasized, while urging the investors to be prudent.
Two employees of the Economy Ministry were involved in the scam, too. They have filed a criminal motion against unknown offenders. “Whether it was with their consent or not, that will be for the law enforcement bodies to investigate,” said Miskov. The ministry has lodged criminal motions regarding this fraud and other criminal deeds, too. The minister explained that Slovakia’s reputation and the Economy Ministry’s reputation have been damaged. It appears that in addition to Slovaks, also foreigners were among the fraudsters, said the minister.
A group of offenders was issuing fake decisions on the levying of administrative fees on behalf of the Ministry of Economy to foreign investors interested in participating in EU and government funded projects in Slovakia, as some local media reported on Friday. In this connection, the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic informed that unknown scammers were trying to collect fees from businesses for their participation in implementation of public sector projects. The Ministry of Economy pointed out that general binding rules applicable to the use of public funds do not allow charging any administrative or other fees for the provision of any form of aid, including participation in project implementation.
SITA