Greek Police (ELAS) executed a large-scale operation across multiple regions, resulting in the arrest of 37 individuals suspected of involvement in a sophisticated fraud ring targeting European Union agricultural subsidies.
The sweep, led by the ELAS Anti-Organised Crime Directorate (DAOE) — often dubbed the “Greek FBI” — was started yesterday morning and targeted a network allegedly exploiting the Payment Authority for Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Aid Schemes (OPEKEPE), the Greek agency responsible for distributing EU farm funds.
The operation unfolded in key areas including Thessaloniki, Pella, Ioannina, Attica and Crete, with detainees expected to be transported to Athens for further interrogation and legal proceedings.
The scheme, active between 2018 and 2024, allegedly involved fictitious claims for pastureland and agricultural activities, primarily by non-farmers who falsely declared ownership or leasing of public lands allocated exclusively for legitimate livestock breeders.
They allegedly inflated livestock numbers to increase their subsidy entitlements.
Investigators claimed the network defrauded the EU budget of an estimated €20 million or more, with €5 million to €10 million directly attributable to illegal acquisitions.
At its core were six to 15 key operatives, including a 38-year-old former OPEKEPE employee identified as the ringleader, who allegedly facilitated false declarations through insider access at farm declaration centres (KYD).
According to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), the suspects allegedly issued fraudulent invoices, laundered the proceeds through a network of bank accounts and commingled the funds with legitimate income.
A portion of the illicit money was then used to purchase luxury goods, travel and vehicles, ostensibly to legitimise the assets.
The bust represents the culmination of parallel investigations: A Greek ex officio probe by ELAS and an 18-month inquiry by EPPO, which converged on the same suspects.
The alleged fraud syphoned funds from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), depriving genuine Greek farmers of entitled subsidies.
The arrests are part of a larger EPPO-led crackdown on systemic corruption within OPEKEPE, which has distributed approximately €3 billion in EU subsidies annually to Greek farmers and breeders.
Earlier phases of the probe exposed organised patterns of abuse, including false claims for non-existent pastures.
In March, EPPO filed charges against 100 suspects in three cases, recovering €2.9 million in fraudulent pastureland subsidies claimed by Cretan stockbreeders between 2017 and 2020.
By June-August, the scandal implicated high-level officials, prompting resignations from five, including former Greek agriculture ministers Makis Voridis (2021–2023) and the MP Lefteris Avgenakis (2023–2024).
EPPO referred evidence of the ministerial “breach of trust” to the Hellenic parliament under Article 86 of the Greek Constitution, which limits EPPO’s jurisdiction over government members.
Wiretaps uncovered discussions on how to obstruct audits and the probe’s scope ballooned to €290 million in potential losses from 2017 onward.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis responded by establishing a taskforce, while the European Commission flagged risks of decertifying OPEKEPE, potentially shifting oversight to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE).
EPPO has pursued dozens of related cases, emphasising that “numerous transcribed conversations” in case files demonstrate criminal groups undermining audits to perpetrate the fraud.
All suspects remain presumed innocent until proven guilty in Greek courts.
The EC 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.
PODCAST: "Greek corruption worse than Spain’s!"@ThatAlexWoman and @JustinStares are joined by Brussels Signal Columnist and former Greek MP @BogdanosK to dig into the latest wave of scandals shaking Greece. https://t.co/ypEkwp7SPN
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 4, 2025
