Remember Tatsiana Zaretskaya, who left Tikhanovskaya's Cabinet amid a scandal? In Estonia, she is suspected of fraud
Brussels demands Zaretskaya return over 2 million euros from a previously received subsidy.
Zaretskaya headed the startup Laava Tech OÜ. The company allegedly developed energy-efficient solutions that were supposed to bring significant financial benefits to farmers. In 2021-2023, the European Commission allocated about 2.4 million euros for the project. However, it appears that the startup was a scam.
As writes «Zerkalo» with reference to Ekspress.delfi.ee, in 2024 the European Prosecutor's Office launched a criminal investigation into the activities of Laava Tech. According to suspicions, the crime caused the European Union damage of almost 450 thousand euros. In addition to Zaretskaya, two other suspects are involved in the case.
In addition, Brussels demanded the return of more than 2 million euros from the previously issued subsidy.
«In the case of suspicion of fraud, the grantor has the right to demand the return of the entire subsidy,» said European Delegated Prosecutor Kristina Savchenkova at a meeting of the Tallinn District Court this week.
Last December, the court arrested Zaretskaya's bank account in Estonia and future receipts up to 1.8 million euros. The court also imposed a ban on disposing of her shares in Estonian companies.
In September 2022, Tatsiana Zaretskaya became the representative of the United Transitional Cabinet for Finance and Economics. Less than two months later, after the scandal, she announced her resignation — after the media suggested that her «startup» might be a scam.
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