Joseph Colombani: Scandal over fake invoices and 15,000 euros fine!

Joseph Colombani: Scandal over fake invoices and 15,000 euros fine!

The agricultural landscape in France is currently in the focus of the judiciary after Joseph Colombani, the president of the FDSEA and also the Chambre d'agriculture de Haute-Corse, appeared today before the Court of Appeal in Bastia. Colombani is accused of being involved in a large-scale fraud case involving agricultural aid. At the center of the proceedings are allegedly fake invoices that are said to have secured him a subsidy of 15,000 euros from the ODARC. France Bleu reports, that while Colombani admits to postdating invoices, he vehemently denies being a fraudster.

During the trial, the prosecutor demanded that the original sentence of nine months in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros be confirmed. A five-year ban from holding office was also called for. Colombani has received support from several colleagues, including Jean-Baptiste Arena and Jean-Baptiste Cantini, who assisted him during the hearing. The verdict is expected on September 10th.

The background to the allegations

Loud France 3 The conviction is based on a report by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), which points to cases of fraud in agricultural aid. The offenses are said to have occurred between October 2012 and September 2015, with Colombani and two other farmers involved in a false invoice creation mechanism. This led to his company illegally receiving 15,550 euros in funding.

The case is not an isolated one, as the problems with fraud in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) show. Between 2016 and 2020, fraud cases in the CAP accounted for around 11% of the total reported fraud cases within the EU. This has an impact on the credibility of the funding and the efficiency of its use. A report from the European Commission highlights that challenges remain in identifying and preventing fraud, despite the introduction of new technologies to monitor agricultural activities. The use of satellite data and artificial intelligence is seen as promising to combat these problems.

Looking into the future

In his defense, Joseph Colombani argued for the nullification of the charges, reinforced by his lawyer's argument that the statute of limitations was violated and the measures were disproportionate. But the court will now decide whether Colombani is actually a fraud or whether he was just trying to legitimately secure funding for agricultural investments.

The outcome of this case will not only be important for Colombani, but could also have far-reaching consequences for the practice of allocating agricultural resources in the region and raise questions about the integrity of applications for support. Farmers are concerned that such a ruling could undermine the trust between agriculture and the authorities.