Thirteen individuals have been sentenced to prison in Greece over their involvement in a large-scale OPEKEPE subsidy fraud case. The scheme involved the illegal collection of EU farming subsidies through falsified claims submitted to the Hellenic Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid (OPEKEPE) during 2019–2020 in the Fthiotida region.
The Athens Misdemeanours Court imposed prison terms ranging from 6 to 40 months, with suspended sentences pending appeal. According to the indictment, 12 of the convicted defendants received a total of more than €440,000 in fraudulent subsidies, with individual payouts ranging from €13,000 to €91,000. Four of the 13 were granted leniency due to previously clean records.
The court rejected all defence arguments. “The court finds the defendants guilty and dismisses their claims,” the presiding judge declared. The case has been forwarded to both the Athens Prosecutor’s Office and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office for further investigation. Authorities are now examining possible charges of false testimony, falsification of official records, and moral complicity in the broader OPEKEPE subsidy fraud.
During the trial, the European prosecutor criticised OPEKEPE itself for failing to conduct proper inspections, stating that the land in question was never rented or cultivated.
“This money was stolen from real farmers who depend on these funds,” she said. “OPEKEPE’s failure to verify the claims enabled this fraud to go undetected.”
This case underscores growing concerns over weaknesses in the oversight of EU agricultural subsidies and highlights the need for stricter enforcement and transparency.
Also read: OPEKEPE subsidy scandal shakes Greece
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