Four Romanian public officials and two other defendants have been indicted over alleged procurement fraud involving two EU-funded tugboats intended to improve navigation and emergency response on the Lower Danube River. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office alleges that tender specifications were deliberately designed to favour a single supplier, resulting in the delivery of vessels unsuitable for their intended inland waterway operations. Delivered in 2021, both tugboats had a draft of 2.6 metres, exceeding the contractual maximum of two metres and limiting their ability to operate during low-water conditions. Despite this discrepancy, officials allegedly approved the vessels as compliant. Prosecutors estimate losses of approximately €7 million to the EU budget, with defendants facing potential prison sentences if convicted.
