Police uncover alleged €2.5 million OPEKEPE subsidy fraud scheme
Greek police have uncovered an alleged criminal network accused of fraudulently obtaining nearly €2.5 million in European Union agricultural subsidies through OPEKEPE, the state agency responsible for distributing farm payments.
Fourteen people were arrested in coordinated raids in Kozani and Agrinio as part of “Operation Harvest,” led by the Hellenic Police's organized crime unit. Authorities said the suspects include the alleged ringleader and coordinator of the scheme.
False land declarations
According to police, the group submitted hundreds of fraudulent subsidy applications between 2019 and 2024 by falsely claiming ownership or lease rights to farmland.
Investigators said many of the plots declared were actually owned by public authorities, municipalities, state agencies, renewable energy companies and private businesses. The suspects allegedly used fictitious lease agreements and spread applications across multiple declaration centers and applicants to avoid detection.
Police estimate the scheme generated approximately €2.47 million in unlawful subsidies. Suspected tax violations worth around €2.7 million were also identified.
The case file includes a total of 39 suspects, as well as four legal entities allegedly used to facilitate the operation. Among those arrested were the manager and an employee of a Declaration Reception Center (KYD), where subsidy applications are processed.
Claims of ignored warnings
The investigation comes amid wider scrutiny of OPEKEPE, which has been at the center of a long-running subsidy scandal.
In comments published by Kathimerini, the owner of several declaration centers claimed loopholes in the subsidy system had been widely known for years and that complaints submitted to OPEKEPE about suspected abuses were ignored.
The source alleged that some applicants used false lease agreements and grazing land declarations to secure payments they were not entitled to receive.
MPs cleared in separate inquiry
In a separate development, a prosecutor ordered the closure of a case involving ruling New Democracy lawmakers Charalambos Athanasiou and Tasos Chatzivasileiou, finding no evidence of criminal wrongdoing linked to an OPEKEPE-related investigation.
The decision remains subject to review by a senior appeals prosecutor.
The broader OPEKEPE affair has become a major political issue in Greece, prompting multiple investigations into the management and oversight of EU agricultural subsidies.
Source:Kathimerini
