In a massive, coordinated sweep, Greek police (ELAS) arrested 37 people on Tuesday for their involvement in a sophisticated farm subsidy fraud scheme.
Operating across several regions—including Thessaloniki, Pella, Ioannina, Attica, and Crete—the criminal network is accused of illegally acquiring more than €5 million, potentially up to €10 million, out of over €20 million in European Union farming subsidies from the OPEKEPE agency, the agency allegedly responsible for the country’s farm funds scandal, between 2018 and 2024.
The suspects, who are not genuine agricultural producers, include the alleged 38-year-old former employee of a farm declaration center (KYD) who is considered the ringleader.
The arrested individuals are expected to be transferred to Athens for further legal proceedings. The Greek investigation converged with a parallel, eighteen-month-old probe launched by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), underscoring the serious, cross-border nature of the financial crime.
The European Commission has given Greece a deadline of November 2 to table an improved action plan for satisfactorily addressing the concerns about the operation of OPEKEPE. As confirmed by an EU spokesperson, the original deadline was October 2 but was extended by one month due to the August summer break.
Related: European Prosecutor: Constitution Changes Needed to Advance Greek Corruption Probes
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