On the order of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), police searched several bus companies and the home of a former employee in connection with a suspected €23 million fraud.

The Luxembourg judicial police carried out the raids as part of an ongoing investigation, as EPPO explained on its website on Monday. Searches targeted major bus operators, the Administration for Public Transport, and the former employee’s residence that connects to the alleged fraud committed between 2022 and 2023.

Authorities suspect that around €12 million was fraudulently drawn from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, also known as FEDER) during the 2022–2023 period. In addition, a further €11 million is believed to have been improperly taken from the national budget in 2024.

Investigators say public transport operators systematically issued invoices for electric bus services between 2022 and 2024, while in reality deploying thermal or hybrid vehicles. This practice enabled them to claim higher subsidies intended exclusively for zero-emission transport.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office stressed that all parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the Luxembourg courts.