How does EPPO interact with police and courts in countries outside its jurisdiction?

In the world of international crime, borders are increasingly becoming a formality. Even if your company or banking operations are outside the European Union, you are not immune to the attention of EPPO. This supranational body has real powers and, within the framework of international cooperation, can request searches, interrogations, and arrests through the police and courts of other states. Many businesspeople mistakenly believe that EPPO does not have access to data and assets outside the EU, but in practice, it is quite different. An expanded network of mutual legal assistance, the involvement of Eurojust, and bilateral agreements allow EPPO to operate far beyond its formal jurisdiction.

Our legal team has experience in interacting with the police, courts, and international bodies. We monitor all stages of the request: from verifying the grounds to response measures. If you suspect that you may be mentioned in an EPPO case, do not wait for official notification—contact us for a full risk assessment and development of a defense strategy.

The UAE maintains mechanisms for international cooperation with the EU within the framework of legal assistance and also participates in global AML/CFT initiatives. If necessary, the EPPO can send an official request to the UAE for the provision of information, asset freezing, witness interrogation, or enforcement of court decisions. Moreover, if a suspect resides in the UAE, there is a possibility of their arrest and subsequent extradition, especially in light of agreements signed between the Emirates and key European countries.

It is worth noting that EPPO focuses on crimes that harm the EU budget: grant embezzlement, VAT evasion, cross-border fraud, and corruption. Even if a business in Dubai does not operate directly in the EU, participation in international transactions, tenders with EU subsidies, or holding funds received from European partners may become grounds for investigation.

Many companies in Dubai combine European, Middle Eastern, and offshore jurisdictions. Such a structure is often viewed by EPPO as a signal of a potential tax avoidance scheme or improper allocation of subsidies. In this context, it is critically important to analyze vulnerabilities in advance and ensure legal protection, especially if your business interacts with European clients, suppliers, or institutions.

European Public Prosecutor’s Office is a supranational body for criminal prosecution, established to investigate and combat crimes against the financial interests of the EU. First launched in June 2021, EPPO became the first independent EU body in history with the authority to initiate criminal cases, conduct investigations, carry out searches, confiscations, and arrests directly within the national jurisdictions of member states.

The main goal of EPPO is the identification, investigation, prosecution, and bringing to justice of individuals who have committed crimes causing damage to the EU budget. Such offenses include:

EPPO has a unique structure: it consists of a central office in Luxembourg (headed by the European Chief Prosecutor) and a network of delegated prosecutors in each participating country. They have the authority to initiate and conduct investigations within their states.

As of today, 22 EU member states participate in EPPO:

Denmark, Ireland, Poland, Hungary, and Sweden decided not to participate in the mechanism, and the United Kingdom left the EU before the launch of the prosecutor’s office.

The limited jurisdiction of the EPPO means that individuals and companies located in third countries can be involved in an investigation, but the countries themselves are not automatically obligated to cooperate with the EPPO. At the same time, the status of a third country does not guarantee immunity: in cases of serious crimes, the EPPO can request assistance from local law enforcement agencies, and, if bilateral agreements exist, initiate extradition.

To effectively collect evidence, detain suspects, and freeze assets, EPPO uses international mechanisms of legal cooperation. One of the key tools is Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA), which allows sending official requests for the provision of evidence, conducting searches, and interrogations in third countries. Such requests can be sent directly by EPPO without intermediaries if there are corresponding agreements between the countries.

When there are no formal MLA agreements, EPPO resorts to cooperation through Eurojust — an EU agency specializing in coordinating the actions of prosecutors and courts from different countries. Eurojust acts as a liaison between EPPO and non-European jurisdictions. Additionally, EPPO actively collaborates with Interpol, which allows obtaining information about the movements of suspects, their arrests, or extradition requests.

An important role is played by diplomatic channels — through EU embassies or specialized agreements that allow bypassing difficulties associated with the absence of direct agreements. EPPO also strives to conclude its own cooperation agreements with key third countries to accelerate the exchange of information and enhance the legal force of its actions. In practice, this is already yielding results.

Eurojust acts as a neutral coordination platform, helping the EPPO establish dialogue with national prosecutors, investigative bodies, and justice ministries of third countries. This is especially important in cases involving companies and individuals registered outside the EU. Through Eurojust, it is possible not only to transmit MLA (mutual legal assistance) requests but also to coordinate simultaneous actions (searches, interrogations, asset freezes).

In practice, Eurojust organizes multilateral meetings between representatives of the EPPO and third countries, resolves jurisdictional conflicts, and offers solutions in situations where criminal prosecution involves multiple states. Eurojust also supports the work of Joint Investigation Teams (JITs), which may include prosecutors and investigators from EU countries and beyond. Thanks to this platform, the EPPO gains access to important information, evidence, and the ability to act beyond the formal boundaries of its competence.

EPPO and OLAF perform different functions: OLAF conducts administrative investigations and collects evidence, while EPPO handles criminal prosecution. If signs of a crime are detected, OLAF transfers the materials to EPPO, which decides whether to initiate a criminal case.

EPPO actively uses the information received from OLAF to prepare an investigation and determine the competent jurisdiction. However, EPPO does not have the authority to act alone. It is obliged to coordinate its actions with national judicial authorities, as its decisions (arrest, search, seizure of documents) require the sanction of a national court.

As part of this coordination, EPPO sends requests to the courts of member states, which make decisions in accordance with local legislation. Moreover, in complex cross-border cases, EPPO may turn to Eurojust to resolve jurisdictional conflicts and ensure consistency of actions. This model of cooperation helps avoid duplication of investigations, reduces bureaucratic barriers, and facilitates a prompt response to criminal schemes.

Although the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not part of the European Union and does not participate in the work of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), this does not imply complete legal isolation. If sufficient grounds exist, EPPO can initiate cross-border prosecution of individuals located outside the jurisdiction of the EU — including arrest on UAE territory.

Such cases are implemented through international legal mechanisms:

The decision on arrest in the UAE is always made by the local court and is not automatically executed based on an EPPO request. Nevertheless, in recent years, the Emirates have been strengthening cooperation with European countries in combating financial crimes, which increases the likelihood of executing such requests, especially in cases of suspected tax evasion, money laundering, or misuse of EU funds.

The possibility of arrest increases if the case is accompanied by accusations of serious violations. Even if the person is not an EU citizen, their presence in a country willing to cooperate may result in temporary detention and the initiation of extradition proceedings.

Therefore, if you conduct business in the EU or have worked with European projects, it is important to assess the risks of being involved in an EPPO investigation, even while being in jurisdictions considered “outside the scope” of this structure. At the first signs of interest from European authorities, it is strongly recommended to seek qualified legal advice.