BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st June, 2021) The independent European Public Prosecutor's Office, formed in 2017, officially began its work on Tuesday in Luxembourg, the European Commission (EC) announced.
"As of today, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) is up and running. This opens a new chapter in fighting cross-border crime. The first supranational prosecution service is launching its operations to protect the EU taxpayer's money, competent to investigate and prosecute crimes like money laundering, corruption and cross-border VAT fraud," EC Vice President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova, Commissioner for Budget Johannes Hahn and Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said in a joint statement.
The EU's new prosecutorial body will work independent of the commission, as well as other EU agencies and member states. The EPPO's headquarters in Luxembourg will feature one prosecutor from each member country that will be assisted by prosecutors on the ground. As of now, 22 out of 27 EU countries will participate in the EPPO's work as Hungary, Poland, Ireland, Sweden and Denmark have not appointed their representatives.
