European authorities crack case of misappropriated research funds

The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has revealed details of an elaborate research funding fraud carried out by an unnamed Greek academic.

The case concerns a €1.1 million (£960,000) European Research Council grant awarded to a Greek university. The funds were intended to support a project run by a young researcher and more than 40 international collaborators. However, suspicions were raised about how these ‘collaborators’ were being paid. While cheques were issued to individual researchers, these were personally deposited by the lead researcher into accounts with multiple beneficiaries