First coronavirus subsidy fraud cases are under investigation: NOS

Photo: Depositphotos.com
Photo: Depositphotos.com

Government officials have begun the process of clawing back coronavirus subsidies which were wrongly paid to at least one company, broadcaster NOS said on Saturday.

The RVO, the government charged with administering the various schemes, did not say how many companies were involved or in what sectors they operated, NOS said.

By last Wednesday, 191,000 companies had applied for help under the TOGs scheme, a one-off payment of €4,000, aimed at helping small firms pay their fixed costs. Of those applications, 181,000 had been honoured with a total payout of €724m, NOS said.

The TOGs programme is being extended for a further three months, with a maximum payout of €20,000. Checks on whether the payment was appropriate will be made later.

According to the government’s financial intelligence unit FIU, 34 ‘suspicious transactions’ involving both TOGs and the TOZO scheme for freelancers are currently under investigation.

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