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The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) pinpoints seven Corsicans who have unduly received subsidies from the common agricultural policy for a total amount of 536,000 euros. A resident of the island even received subsidies without being a farmer. No reimbursement would have been claimed from him, just like the other beneficiaries of these unduly affected subsidies… Extract from “Agriculture: where have Europe’s billions gone?”, an investigation by Véronique Blanc, broadcast on Tuesday June 7, 2022 at 9:10 p.m. on France 2.
Investigators from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) had to drool to mention in black and white in this report, published in 2018, their “difficulties in conducting an investigation in Corsica”. In particular, they found a particular person posing as a farmer, in order to receive aid from the common agricultural policy (CAP) : “Madame X would not be, contrary to her declarations, a farmer (…), but the manager of a holiday village in the eastern plain south of Bastia”, they note.
This lady unduly received a little over 115,000 euros for three years, according to OLAF. The magazine “Cash Investigation” (replay) went to ask him how it was possible to have a farm and exercise another profession at the same time. The team found her in eastern Corsica where she now lives and works as a real estate agent.
“It’s my business… There you go. Thank you!”
“I have nothing to reproach myself and everything is good“, she says to “Cash” which films the meeting in hidden camera. Did she consider herself a farmer? “Sure ! I have my diplomas, I have everything. I’m not going to lay out my life like that. I did everything right, in the rules of the art, and here it is.“ Has she repaid this amount? “I won’t say anything because it doesn’t concern you or the others. It only concerns me.“ And after OLAF’s investigation, this person still received CAP aid for two years in a row. That is a total of 215,000 euros in five years…
The journalist reminds her of the count of the sums affected after the report of the organization noting that she worked in a holiday club and could not carry out the two activities at the same time… “If you know all this, why are you asking me questions? I don’t see how I’m going to talk about my private life and my professional life with the whole of France, it’s not people’s problem“answers the young woman who received public money by declaring land while OLAF claims that she was not a farmer: “So. Thanks !” she concludes…
Extract of “Agriculture: where have Europe’s billions gone?“, an investigation by Véronique Blanc, broadcast Tuesday June 7, 2022 at 9:10 p.m. on France 2.
> Replays of France Télévisions news magazines are available on the Franceinfo website and its mobile application (iOS & Android), “Magazines” section.