Greek ministers and senior government officials are suspected of colluding to carry out a large-scale fraud in the agricultural aid sector with the aim of stealing hundreds of millions of euros from the EU.
POLITICO published documents from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) detailing a multi-million euro fraud involving EU subsidies (the OPEKEPE case). The scheme involved fictitious pastures, bogus companies and the participation of current and former ministers linked to the New Democracy party.
Despite the evidence, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis effectively blocked the transfer of the case to European jurisdiction. “Greece needs the truth, not scandals,” he said. The dossier contains wiretap recordings and conversations between five ministers and ten parliamentarians.
How the scheme worked
According to the investigation, employees of the Ministry of Agriculture and the OPEKEPE agency distributed subsidies based on false applications. For example, pastures were located in rocky wastelands where even cockroaches could not survive. There were cases of pressure on witnesses — inspector Paraskevi Ticheropoulou was dismissed after complaints.
Among those involved are Lefteris Avgenakis and Makis Voridis. One fired agency executives for blocking suspicious payments, while the other helped remove those who interfered with the scheme.
Giorgos Xylouris (nicknamed “Frappe”), a Cretan farmer and party official, is also mentioned, who joked that to unblock the money, “it would be better to kill the inspector.”
What will happen next
Despite its scale, the investigation is stalling: criminal cases against ministers can only be brought by parliament, and the ruling majority is slowing down the process. The statute of limitations on a number of cases may expire.
Mitsotakis has promised to close OPEKEPE by 2026 and return the funds, but many of those involved continue to hold office. The EPPO warns: “The same group may continue its activities next year.”
