Slovakia - Hacienda corruption
Slovakia seems to be the next country with corruption problems tied to the national Agricultural Payment Agency (PPA), an official body under the Ministry of Agriculture responsible for distributing payments under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which accounts for a third of the European Union budget. Politico EU has reported on how Slovakia’s government officials took these funds, which were to be used for guesthouses intended to support rural tourism and didn’t quite use them as they should have. What happened was that these guesthouses were transformed into luxury villas (haciendas) for officials and their friends, with some even living in them permanently. “The properties share a common pattern: difficult to locate, barely any online presence, challenging to book, gated off, or serving as private residences. Yet according to the rules, recipients of EU subsidies are required to keep such businesses running and open to the public for at least five years after getting the money.”
Why should we care? Simply put, this is one more blatant bit of corruption by government officials abusing their positions to receive benefits. What is so tiresome is the constancy of these behaviors, and the fact that none seem to be bothered about being caught. What is needed is a clear campaign, as well as serious jail time for these people. The people of Slovakia deserve better, and we, as the anti-corruption community, should help get the word out to the international community in Slovakia. Hopefully, there will be more articles on what is being done and how to avoid these types of corruption going forward.
Links:
https://www.politico.eu/article/farm-fraud-slovakia-state-agency-fake-guesthouse/