The first phase of the investigation by the Hellenic Police’s Financial Crime Unit has resulted in the identification of 1,036 TINs that illegally received subsidies totaling €22.7 million from OPEKEPE, as announced from Thessaloniki by the Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis.

Regarding the owners of these TINs, the findings from examining 6,354 Tax Registry Numbers that showed signs of misconduct, Mr. Chrysochoidis also announced that their assets have been frozen.

He also presented the five methods of fraud uncovered during the investigation, which are as follows:

• Falsification of the legal ownership of declared agricultural plots by the applicants.
• False declaration of ownership of plots belonging to deceased owners, either through inheritance rights or in their absence.
• False declaration of ownership of livestock assets.
• Submission of single applications by beneficiaries lacking the required eligibility criteria.
• False declaration of cultivated plots by beneficiaries outside their place of residence or professional activity.

He further announced that a special police team from the Organized Crime Directorate will be established to continue the investigation, with the following objectives:

• Continuous updating of criteria for identifying applications from individual beneficiaries (Tax IDs).
• Examination of organized criminal groups acting systematically to obtain related subsidies.
• Reassessment of developed methods aimed at deceiving the subsidy provision mechanism.

“The illegal appropriation of valuable public resources, whether national or European, cannot and should not be tolerated,” stressed the Minister of Citizen Protection, concluding: “These resources are meant to support Greek agriculture, not for illegal and unjustified enrichment of some individuals.”

He emphasized that “Lawfulness and security are our duty, but also our shared responsibility—society and the State. Because if we want a better future, that’s the only way to achieve it. Through our collective action, our concern, and care for our neighbor and our homeland.”

Chrysochoidis’s Statements

“The OPEKEPE case has deeply wounded Greek society. It cannot and should not be tolerated that some seek to undermine the valuable public resources, whether national or European. These resources are intended to support Greek agriculture, not for illegal and unjustified enrichment. It is our duty—of the State, the government, and the authorities—to activate all available mechanisms to prevent, control, detect, and punish misconduct. And these mechanisms are becoming more effective every day, with modern tools and dedicated men and women committed to their duty.”

“Lawfulness and security are OUR duty, but also our shared responsibility—society and the State. Because if we want a better future, that’s the only way to get there. Through our collective effort, concern, and attentiveness for our neighbor and our country.”

Regarding the case: after consultations and communications between the relevant authorities—ELAS (Hellenic Police), AADE (Independent Authority for Public Revenue), and the Ministry of Rural Development—and by order of the Prime Minister, a thorough investigation into the subsidies granted following applications to OPEKEPE was decided. As is known, the European Prosecutor’s Office is conducting an ongoing criminal investigation.

Thus, an order was issued by the supervising Prosecutor of the Organized Crime Directorate to conduct a Preliminary Examination, initiating an investigation by the Economic Crime Sub-Directorate of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, into the years 2019–2024.

This order calls for a preliminary investigation to gather, using all available evidence, the necessary proof to determine whether criminal prosecution should be initiated for the following acts:

1. Criminal organization / conspiracy / gang,
2. Common and aggravated fraud related to grants, committed once or repeatedly,
3. Common and aggravated forgery, committed individually and with co-perpetrators, once or repeatedly,
4. Incitement / complicity in the above acts, individually and with co-perpetrators, in series, once or repeatedly.

To execute the prosecutor’s order, the Service has taken the following actions:

I will mention some details, purely formal and procedural, but crucial for legality, transparency, and protection of data and personal information:

1. Ensuring the authenticity and integrity of digital data by exporting a copy and seizing it from OPEKEPE’s Information System, which contains the Unified Support Applications (UEA) of natural/legal persons to the Organization. This process lasted from July 9, 2025, to July 28, 2025.
2. With the approval of the Prosecutor, criteria were established to initiate the investigation and identify initial forms of fraud. These criteria, up to the present, stem from prior investigations of similar cases by the Service, evaluation of reported evidence, available information, and the conditions required for granting subsidies.

It is noted that from the TINs identified using these criteria, those exhibiting characteristics of misconduct—fraud—were selected for investigation by the Service’s handlers. As of today, the following findings have emerged:

Chrysochoidis on OPEKEPE: 1,036 TINs Illegally Received €22.7 Million — Assets to Be Seized

Additionally, I inform you that the transmission of investigative reports to the Prosecutor’s Office has so far resulted in the seizure of assets of the applicants for wrongly paid subsidies.

In summary, during the investigation, digital data concerning 819,620 applications from individual beneficiaries for the period from 2019 to 2024 was collected.

The ongoing investigation into cases of fraud in receiving financial subsidies has revealed the following methods:

• Falsification of the legal ownership of declared agricultural plots by the applicants.
• False declaration of ownership of plots belonging to deceased owners, either through inheritance or in their absence.
• False declaration of ownership of livestock assets.
• Submission of single applications by beneficiaries lacking the necessary eligibility criteria.
• False declaration of cultivated plots by beneficiaries outside their place of residence or professional activity.

The prosecutor’s order is being continuously executed, and for this purpose, a special police team from the Organized Crime Directorate will continue the investigation with the following goals:

• Constant updating of criteria for identifying applications from individual beneficiaries (TINs).
• Examination of organized criminal groups acting systematically to obtain related subsidies.
• Reassessment of developed methods used to deceive the subsidy mechanism.

Thank you.