Thirteen individuals, including the alleged leader of a network accused of embezzling EU farm subsidies, are now in pre-trial detention in Greece, following the questioning of 37 suspects, ANA news agency reports.
The main suspect, a 38-year-old man, reportedly admitted to some of the charges but claimed that “many people were involved in these acts,” ANA stated. His ex-wife has been placed under house arrest with an electronic monitoring bracelet, according to ANA.
The suspects face charges of belonging to a criminal organisation, fraud, document forgery, and money laundering, with potential sentences of up to 20 years.
Authorities arrested the 37 suspects last week in connection with what prosecutors described as “massive and systematic fraud” and “money laundering activities.”
The network had allegedly been operating since at least 2018 and had “a clear hierarchical structure with distinct roles,” according to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).
The estimated financial damage to the EU budget amounts to nearly €20 million.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture has accepted the resignation of the vice-president of OPEKEPE, the Greek agency responsible for the control and disbursement of EU subsidies to farmers, ANA reported.
The network allegedly obtained EU agricultural subsidies by fraudulently declaring land and pastures that did not belong to them and artificially inflating livestock numbers.
Some individuals who received subsidies reportedly had no connection to the agriculture sector.
The scandal, which has shaken Greece since the spring, led Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to announce the dissolution of OPEKEPE, a restructuring set to be completed by mid-2026.
The scandal also prompted the resignation of an agriculture minister from Greece's conservative government.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister vowed to take all necessary measures to uncover the truth, stating that the government’s determination to tackle the issue would not be hindered by political consequences.
“We will not back down, no matter the political cost, until all those who benefitted from illegal subsidies are exposed and punished,” he vowed.
