European prosecutors have searched offices in Brussels and Strasbourg as an investigation into alleged misuse of parliamentary funds by the former Identity and Democracy group raises questions over financial liabilities inherited by Patriots for Europe.

European prosecutors carried out searches at the European Parliament’s offices in Brussels and Strasbourg on Wednesday, 21 October, as part of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving the former Identity and Democracy (ID) parliamentary group.

The investigation concerns approximately €4.33 million in European Union funds that were allegedly improperly spent during the 2019–2024 parliamentary term. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) confirmed that searches had taken place in connection with an ongoing inquiry into the use of EU funds by a former parliamentary group.

The premises searched are now occupied by Patriots for Europe, the European Parliament’s third-largest political group, which includes France’s National Rally, Hungary’s Fidesz, Italy’s Lega and Spain’s Vox. Patriots for Europe insists that it has no legal continuity with Identity and Democracy and denies being involved in the investigation.

Investigation into parliamentary expenditure

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office opened its investigation in July 2025 following concerns identified by the European Parliament’s financial administration about expenditure incurred by Identity and Democracy.

The former group, which dissolved following the 2024 European elections, included representatives of France’s National Rally, Italy’s Lega and Germany’s Alternative for Germany.

According to details of the parliamentary financial examination subsequently reported in France, investigators are examining approximately €3.6 million in contracts awarded to external service providers, including businesses with political connections to parties represented within the former group.

The financial examination also identified more than €700,000 in donations to organisations whose activities were allegedly unrelated to the parliamentary group’s official functions.

The authorities are examining whether parliamentary resources were used in accordance with EU financial rules, including restrictions on using public money for national party-political activities.

These are allegations under investigation, not criminal findings. The EPPO has not announced convictions arising from the current inquiry, and the individuals and organisations concerned retain the presumption of innocence.

Earlier investigative measures were conducted in France, Belgium, Spain and Italy in June 2026. Wednesday’s searches mark a further stage in the proceedings.

Can Patriots for Europe inherit the liabilities?

The investigation has opened a separate dispute over whether Patriots for Europe could be required to repay money allegedly misspent by its predecessor.

Identity and Democracy ceased to exist after the 2024 elections. Several parties previously represented in the group subsequently joined Patriots for Europe, a new parliamentary formation that also brought together Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz and Spain’s Vox.

Patriots for Europe maintains that the two groups are legally separate. Its representatives argue that the dissolution of Identity and Democracy ended that group’s institutional existence and that the present parliamentary organisation is not responsible for its predecessor’s financial affairs.

However, the European Parliament’s budgetary authorities have examined whether responsibility for outstanding liabilities can pass to a successor group.

An opinion approved by the Parliament’s Budgetary Control Committee in September considered the circumstances in which continuity between parliamentary groups might establish financial responsibility.

Such an assessment may consider whether members, administrative personnel, operational resources and other assets were transferred from one organisation to another.

The outcome could determine whether the current group is exposed to potential repayment demands, irrespective of whether its present members were personally involved in the expenditure under investigation.

No final determination of such liability has been established through Wednesday’s searches.

Political consequences in Strasbourg

The searches come at a time when Patriots for Europe has become a major political force within the European Parliament.

Its member parties have challenged EU policy on immigration, economic regulation and the distribution of powers between Brussels and national governments. National Rally and Fidesz are also influential actors in the domestic politics of France and Hungary respectively.

An investigation involving their parliamentary organisation is therefore likely to attract scrutiny beyond the immediate financial questions.

Nevertheless, the political influence of the group and the criminal investigation must be considered separately. The presence of prosecutors at parliamentary premises does not establish wrongdoing by the current group’s MEPs.

The case also raises broader questions about financial accountability within the Parliament, particularly when a political group dissolves following an election and its members establish a new organisation.

Unlike national political parties, European parliamentary groups receive funding specifically to support their legislative, administrative and political work inside the institution.

Those resources are subject to financial controls intended to prevent their diversion into activities that should be funded by national parties or other organisations.

Further proceedings

The EPPO is responsible for investigating and prosecuting offences affecting the European Union’s financial interests. It operates independently of national governments and EU political institutions.

The European Parliament has confirmed its cooperation with the authorities but has declined to comment on the substance of the continuing investigation.

Prosecutors must now assess the evidence obtained during the searches alongside financial records and material collected during previous investigative measures.

Any decision to bring criminal proceedings would depend on the evidence available and the relevant national and European legal requirements.

Separately, the Parliament will have to establish whether any recoverable funds are owed by the former group and, if so, which organisation is legally responsible for repayment.

For Patriots for Europe, the immediate issue is not only the progress of the criminal inquiry but whether the financial arrangements of a dissolved parliamentary group can create obligations for its successor.

Police have launched an investigation into the management of Roman Abramovich’s assets through Cypriot companies.

Speaking before the House institutions committee on Wednesday, police spokesman Andreas Anastasiades said the inquiry would be carried out with the other competent bodies and was expected to take about six months.

The case dates back several years, but police said the passage of time did not remove the legal basis for investigating it.

A justice ministry spokesperson said the information was being evaluated and that an investigation would follow if indications of offences emerged.

The move follows an investigation published on October 12 by BBC Panorama and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

It alleged that Deloitte Cyprus signed off backdated paperwork for Abramovich companies.

Deloitte Cyprus told the Cyprus Mail it “acts in compliance with applicable laws”.

Committee chairman and Disy MP Demetris Demetriou said the purpose of the session was a supervisory review and not a recital of history.

“We are not here merely to say that these things happened years ago,” he said.

“Otherwise, this committee becomes a group therapy session, and I am not willing to go down that road.”

Alma MP Irene Charalambides said the case went back to 2006, when Cyprus operated in a different financial environment.

She said the authorities must tell the House whether current procedures could prevent a repeat, and asked whether the government could assure that past weaknesses had been addressed and that no similar revelations would emerge about recent years.

The committee heard that the main allegation was that an audit firm encouraged a client to backdate documents to secure a tax benefit or alter the presentation of financial statements.

The finance ministry’s permanent secretary, Andreas Zachariadis, said the public audit oversight authority (Adeelep), created in 2017, had contacted the firm involved and received its own interpretation.

He said the case dated from 2003 to 2006 and that obtaining information on it “is not easy”.

The authority had “no jurisdiction over events before it was established and holds disciplinary rather than criminal powers”, he said.

Conduct of this kind today could lead to proceedings and sanctions, up to removal from the profession.

They said audit quality had improved since oversight of the profession began in 2017, making incidents like those described for 2006 harder to repeat.

The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (Selk) said it was examining the reports but could not give absolute assurance that similar cases would not recur.

Its representative said Selk has no criminal investigation powers and refers evidence of offences to prosecutors.

He said the licence of the person named in the BBC article was revoked in 2023.

The anti-money laundering unit (Mokas) said it had received no report on the case, and that it possesses no power to conduct criminal investigations but could assist police if asked.

Tax Commissioner Soteris Markides cautioned that there were time limits on the tax years in question that could be examined, while other attending authorities said they lacked jurisdiction over events that predated their creation.

The Central Bank said it was examining whether any Cypriot bank was involved, although none had yet been identified.

It said it could demand corrective measures or impose fines if breaches were found, and that the banking system had changed substantially since the financial crisis. The Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) said that though it now holds greater powers it cannot bring criminal prosecutions.

The Bar Association said it could impose substantial administrative fines.

Two former directors of Blue Ocean Yacht Management Ltd are due to stand trial at the Limassol district court on November 26 over €25 million in unpaid VAT.

The company managed Abramovich’s superyachts, which together were worth about €1.2 billion.

Akel MP Christos Christofides, who appeared in the BBC documentary, said he wrote to Markides the day after publication asking for checks on possible offences and on whether money that escaped the treasury could be recovered. He said this was “money of the Cypriot people that could go to our education, to health, to people in need and not end up with billionaires”.

He insisted tax cases completed in 2016 remained within the period that could be examined.

Abramovich himself has insisted that he took independent professional tax and legal advice and acted on it, and his lawyers have denied any role in alleged tax evasion.

Former independent MP Alexandra Attalides, who had originally pressed the tax department to act, said it was “unbelievable that the supervisory bodies were so incompetent”.

Leaked recordings allegedly detail a $600,000-plus operation to capture Evo Morales, but their authenticity remains unverified.

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Bolivian lawmakers from several political parties are demanding an impartial investigation into audio recordings allegedly detailing a plan to abduct former President Evo Morales, including the procurement of surveillance equipment, contacts with foreign actors and a budget of up to 8 million bolivianos ($685,000).

RELATED: Judge Rules There Is No Evidence Against Evo Morales in Child Abuse Case

The recordings, attributed to former consultant Fernando Cerimedo, reportedly outline an operation targeting Morales in the Chapare region, his political stronghold. Their authenticity has not been officially verified by forensic authorities.

The allegations drew international attention after digital journalist Julián Macías Tovar published information about the recordings on X. According to the material circulated, Cerimedo allegedly traveled to the United States and Israel to arrange helicopters and specialized tracking equipment for an operation in the Chapare.

A voice attributed to Cerimedo can reportedly be heard discussing logistics with Public Works Minister Mauricio Zamora, including the acquisition of drones and specialized equipment.

The operation’s estimated cost was between 7 million and 8 million bolivianos, equivalent to approximately $600,000 to $685,000. In the recordings, the speaker allegedly offers to cover the entire cost informally and in US dollars. The audio also refers to a previous attempt in which those involved allegedly reached the second security perimeter around Morales, with support from purported foreign agents.

The allegations have prompted calls for accountability from across Bolivia’s political spectrum. Edgar Zegarra, a lawmaker from the Libre party, described the revelations as extremely serious and called for a transparent, balanced investigation free from political bias to establish responsibility.

Morales has also criticized what he described as the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s inaction, urging authorities to investigate the recordings. In a post on X, he asked: “What is new prosecutor José Armando Urioste waiting for to investigate Cerimedo’s new audios?”

Lawmakers want the investigation to establish whether the recordings are authentic, identify the source of the alleged operation’s funding and determine whether state resources or institutions were improperly used. They have also raised concerns about possible foreign interference.

Zamora has categorically denied the recordings’ authenticity, claiming they were manipulated and edited. However, in statements reported by the media outlet Fama, Poder y Ganas, he acknowledged having had previous telephone contact with Cerimedo.

The recordings’ origin and authenticity remain unverified by forensic authorities. The allegations have nevertheless intensified scrutiny of the security of Bolivia’s leading political figures and the country’s institutions amid deep political polarization.

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The rolling release of long-secret files could add detail to the history of a legally disputed Bush-era counterterrorism program.

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