On Wednesday, European prosecutors brought charges against 100 individuals suspected of involvement in a large-scale fraud scheme related to European agricultural subsidies in Greece, which was the subject of a recent POLITICO investigation.
This is the first major case filed by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the scheme worth 2.9 million euros, through which Greek citizens received EU funds for pastureland they did not own or lease, or for work they did not perform, depriving real farmers of the funds they were entitled to.
The investigation explores how the scheme was organized, as well as possible involvement of government agencies, particularly employees of the state agency responsible for distributing funds. Whenever agency staff tried to eliminate the fraud, they were pushed out by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Representatives of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to POLITICO that the suspects submitted false declarations of ownership or forged lease agreements for land that they did not own or lease. Most of the criminals were from the island of Crete, but they claimed subsidies for lands across the country.
If the accused are found guilty, they face up to five years in prison and a fine.
64 people were charged on February 18, and their trial will take place on May 16. Another 22 people were charged in January, with their trial scheduled for March 24. Finally, 14 suspects were charged last year, and their trial will be held on May 30.
