In Greece, police seized a criminal ring that had been cashing in on the EU’s farm subsidies, arresting 37 people across the country. The raid, carried out by the Hellenic Police’s Organised Crime Division, hit hotspots in Thessaloniki, Pella, Ioannina, Attica and Crete.
Sources say the suspects tricked the state by sending false claims to OPEKEPE, the agency that distributes EU farming aid. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) traced 324 people who received these payments—over €19.6 million in all. About 42 of them are linked to this particular scam.
Investigators estimate the group stole between €5 million and €10 million from a larger pool of more than €20 million in subsidies. Surprisingly, most of the arrested are not farmers; the core crew is thought to be around ten people, according to ERT.
The EPPO began the probe 18 months ago and worked closely with Greek authorities during the raids. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he will prosecute every guilty party and recover the stolen funds. He warned that if Greece fails to clean up the fraud, it could end up losing future EU subsidies.
Government ministers and deputy ministers already stepped down over ties to the scandal. The EU has imposed a €400 million fine on Athens for systemic failures in handling farm subsidies from 2016 to 2023. Greece now faces a tighter deadline—its action plan must be submitted by November 4, not the original October 2 deadline—if it wants to keep its EU funding intact.
The crackdown signals a broader push by European officials to stop subsidy fraud and protect public money from corruption.
Source: ianslive
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