Workers harvest grapes at Jaroslav Ostorozovic's vineyard in the Slovakian part of the Tokaj wine-growing region near Mala Trna, Slovakia | Attila Balazs/EPA OLAF examines alleged abuse of EU funds in Slovakia Irregularities were raised by murdered journalist Ján Kuciak and Green MEPs.

EU anti-fraud office OLAF confirmed today it has opened "a selection" into alleged fraud and mismanagement of EU funds and agriculture subsidies in Slovakia.

A selection is the preliminary assessment to see if there are grounds to open a full investigation.

Irregularities in the use of EU and Common Agricultural Policy funds were uncovered by murdered Slovakian journalist Ján Kuciak, who was investigating ties between Italian mafia and Slovak business at the time of his death.

"OLAF is currently assessing all the available information and allegations that have surfaced in the last weeks, in order to establish whether or not the conditions for opening an investigation in accordance with OLAF's mandate are met," a spokesperson said in a statement.

Earlier this month a group of Green MEPs wrote to OLAF demanding an investigation into alleged misuse of EU funds, particularly by the Slovak Agriculture Paying Agency (APA).

"There is a potentially systemic misuse of EU funds in Slovakia. We are very concerned that EU funds and agriculture subsidies could be siphoned off to fund criminal activities," MEPs said in the letter, "We therefore ask the European Anti-Fraud Office to investigate these allegations and to make sure that any abuse is brought to an end."