Greek Agri Subsidy HQ Raided by EU Prosecutors, Police Over Large-Scale Fraud Allegations

Internal affairs officers of the police department, in the presence of EU prosecutors, conducted a spot raid at the headquarters of the Greek Payment Authority of Common Agricultural Policy (C.A.P.) Aid Schemes (OPEKEPE) in Athens on Monday after allegations of fraud involving agricultural subsidies.

Two prosecutors of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) were also present during the operation.

The EU prosecutors’ office has already investigated dozens of cases in which Greek citizens received EU agricultural subsidies from OPEKEPE between 2017 and 2020 for pastureland they neither owned nor leased or for agricultural activities that were never carried out.

According to sources obtained by OT, the case file on these irregularities and fraud involving EU funds includes overwhelming evidence, which has long been known to the relevant European authorities.

Based on what has come to light in recent months, the subsidy “scandal” is not limited to an internal administrative dispute between the Ministry of Rural Development and Food and OPEKEPE, as farmers have voiced strong reactions and frustration due to the poor quality of services provided by the payment agency.

The EPPO has identified and is bringing to court 100 suspicious cases of fraud totaling €2.9 million. These cases involve individuals who received EU subsidies for nonexistent or misrepresented agricultural land and activities. The EPPO has already submitted a criminal complaint to the Athens Court of First Instance regarding these cases.

According to reports, during the raid by officers of the Internal Affairs Service, documents, computer hard drives, and other materials related to the allocation of EU subsidies were confiscated.

Legal sources with intimate knowledge of the case suggest grants to non-eligible actors are estimated in the hundreds of millions of euros based on existing allegations.