More than 100 individuals appear as defendants in the case file compiled by Greece’s “FBI” (the Financial Police) concerning a network that amassed millions through fraudulent agricultural subsidies from OPEKEPE (the Greek Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid).

Of these, police arrested 37 people, while the rest were not detained under the in flagrante delicto procedure as they played no active role in the ongoing operations of the organization.

However, according to investigative findings, most of the arrested are not even farmers. Instead, the group’s leaders identified undeclared agricultural plots and registered them under the names of people working as cooks, drivers, electricians, DJs, and waiters.

Key Figures

Two men played pivotal roles in the operation:

• The first, a 38-year-old from Giannitsa, posed as a farmer. He was responsible for locating unregistered land and “utilizing” it through fraudulent claims.
  Previously, he had worked as an accountant/employee in an agricultural consulting office, specifically managing client documentation for the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS). Through this system, farmers declare their land and livestock to receive subsidies from OPEKEPE.
  Over time, he developed a personal clientele of around 300 farmers, whom he continued to assist privately even after leaving the office in 2021.

A Life of Luxury and a Fake Divorce

According to police sources, the 38-year-old lived a lavish lifestyle, traveling to Dubai and Istanbul, staying in luxury hotels, and shopping at designer stores like Prada and Gucci.

He reportedly arranged a fake divorce from his wife—who is also accused of being part of the ring—in an attempt to avoid drawing suspicion.

Police believe the alleged ringleader feared a possible audit and seizure of assets, so he staged the separation to shield their property.
Notably, this coincided with the first media reports about OPEKEPE subsidy investigations.

The Second Ringleader

The second key figure is a 36-year-old man from Crete, who worked at a Private Documentation Reception Center that handled OPEKEPE applications.

How the Fraud Worked

Among the accused are 11 individuals who acted both as lessors and lessees of agricultural land.
They would log into the OPEKEPE system to identify plots of land that had not been declared.

Then, they would:

• Register the plot under the name of someone aware of the fraud, who would receive the subsidy, or
• Claim a plot for someone who didn’t own one at all, using fake lease agreements in the names of third parties, who would then collect the payments.

Police investigations revealed this same pattern repeated across multiple regions, including Giannitsa, Attica, Crete, Thessaloniki, Edessa, and Ioannina.

The Investigation

The case had been under investigation for a long time and intersected with individuals already targeted by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).

Authorities determined that the fraudulent activity spanned from 2018 to 2022, during which the perpetrators embezzled millions of euros—with initial estimates pointing to at least €5 million.