Greek authorities estimate that at least €23 million of the EU’s agricultural subsidies for the country ended up in the hands of fraudsters.

This was stated by Minister of Civil Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis, AFP reported.

The EU is currently investigating allegations of large-scale corruption linked to its agricultural subsidies for Greece, following claims that aid had been illegally paid out to ineligible recipients.

Greek authorities, who launched their own investigation after the scandal erupted, reviewed 6,354 aid recipients, of whom 1,036 were found to have received illegal payments totaling €23 million, Chrysochoidis said.

The results of the investigation have been submitted to the court, which can now authorize “the confiscation of the assets of those who unlawfully received these subsidies,” he explained.

The fraud scheme involved primarily false declarations of farmland or livestock herds, the minister noted.

“We must not tolerate some people coveting valuable public resources. These funds were meant to support the Greek agricultural sector, not to unlawfully and unjustifiably enrich a few individuals,” he declared.

The findings came after EU investigators raided the Athens offices of the Greek state agency responsible for the payments, OPEKEPE.

The EU investigation revealed widespread misuse of funds in the now-defunct OPEKEPE, which, according to the government, disbursed more than €3 billion annually, mainly in subsidies to 680,000 farmers.

The investigated period falls mostly during the term of the current government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who came to power in July 2019.

However, the government claims the fraud has been ongoing for decades.

The scandal has led to the resignation of a cabinet minister and several other senior officials. | BGNES