Bulgaria brings no charges after OLAF recommendations

No charges were brought in Bulgaria between 2021 and 2025 following recommendations by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), according to the office’s annual report published on Monday.

A total of 42 checks were carried out during this period, CE Report quotes BTA.

In five cases where follow-up action was recommended, national authorities decided to discontinue the proceedings, while one decision is still pending. Last year, five checks were completed in Bulgaria, with follow-up action recommended in two of them.

The report explains that when OLAF concludes an investigation, it issues recommendations to national authorities if it identifies suspected fraud or irregularities. Financial recommendations concern the recovery of funds. If strong evidence of a crime is found, the office forwards the case to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and may recommend that national courts assess whether judicial proceedings should be initiated.

Between 2021 and 2025, OLAF issued 145 judicial recommendations to EU countries. National authorities made 73 decisions, 27 of which resulted in charges being brought. The data also shows that over the past decade, OLAF’s recommendations have led to varying amounts being recovered for the EU budget. For example, in 2017 the figure exceeded €3 billion, while last year it was just over €500 million.