Illegal aid
According to a dossier from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), a “criminal organization” has been identified, involving officials from Greece’s agency responsible for distributing EU subsidies, OPEKEPE, alongside individuals and members of parliament unlawfully receiving EU agricultural subsidies, reports 24brussels.
The EPPO’s 36-page report reveals that officials at OPEKEPE and the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with business figures, “acted in an organized manner to establish a system of non-controls and obtain or facilitate the receipt of illegal aid.”
EPPO highlighted that the full extent of the fraudulent payments and the total impact on EU funds remains unassessed. However, it asserts that preliminary findings indicate a substantial large-scale scheme.
In response to this investigation, Brussels has directed Greece to forfeit nearly €400 million in funding—more than 20% of the direct payments it was set to receive in the next fiscal year.
EPPO has recommended further legal scrutiny for two former agriculture ministers—Lefteris Avgenakis and Makis Voridis—who later served as state minister reporting directly to the prime minister. Both have denied the allegations against them.
Documents reveal that Grigoris Varras, the former president of OPEKEPE, communicated issues relating to the fraudulent pastureland in two letters addressed to Voridis in 2020. Varras was subsequently compelled to resign by Voridis, who remained in public office until this June when he also resigned following the submission of the EPPO dossier to parliament.
