Information that raises serious concern and multiple questions about the operation of the Declaration Reception Center (KYD) run by Nikos Bounakis, deputy secretary for the agricultural sector of PASOK, is brought to light by protothema.gr, as it appears to be linked to a mechanism for the irregular extraction of large agricultural subsidies from OPEKEPE funds.

These are the findings related to the “tainted” case of Lake Karla, which have already been forwarded to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Financial Crime Directorate of the Hellenic Police.

It should be noted that Mr. Bounakis is scheduled today at 10 a.m. to testify before the parliamentary inquiry committee investigating the OPEKEPE case and is expected to be asked to provide adequate explanations. It is recalled that he has already admitted that the declaration concerning the land in Lake Karla was indeed submitted through his KYD, though he argued that he lacked the authority or ability to verify the authenticity of the leases submitted by producers.

However, according to documents from the voluminous KYD file of this PASOK official and former parliamentary candidate—whose center is based in Crete—338.6 stremmata (approx. 83.6 acres) of Lake Karla were declared in 2022 as farmland eligible for subsidies. The application was submitted by E.A., a producer from Crete who until then had declared only 9 stremmata of olive trees in Heraklion. E.A. attached to her application—accepted by the Bounakis KYD—a lease covering the 338.6 stremmata at a cost of 2 euros per month, meaning 0.006 euros per stremma. The lessor is listed as A.M., owner of dozens of properties and a professional scrap iron trader.

However, according to the available data—which, according to knowledgeable sources, the Bounakis KYD should have checked—the 338.6 stremmata constitute public land that has not been granted by the Thessaly regional authority for cultivation or any other use to the supposed lessor-lessee pair A.M. and E.A.

According to the data of the competent regional authority, these names do not appear in the official list of beneficiaries of the relevant decision of the Regional Governor of Thessaly, which concerns the granting of land exclusively for dryland cultivation of food or animal feed.

Regarding Mr. Bounakis’ claim that he lacked the authority or ability to verify the authenticity of the leases submitted by producers, competent sources explain that certified KYD officials are required to attend training seminars and examinations that teach them how to distinguish a lake from a field, or which land is public and which is private.

The KYD, Lake Karla, the attachments, and the Giannitsa network

At the same time, information and documents available to protothema.gr reveal that M.K., an employee of the Bounakis-owned KYD, as well as A.M., who appears to be the intermediary lessor of the 338.6 stremmata in Lake Karla, are included in the list of 37 individuals accused of belonging to an illegal subsidy network based in Giannitsa.

According to evidence from the investigation conducted by the Northern Greece Organized Crime Division—already forwarded to the European Public Prosecutor—the associate of Mr. Bounakis is accused of submitting dozens of electronic lease agreements concerning falsely declared farmland.

Additionally, inspection of his bank accounts revealed that between 2023 and 2025 he received deposits exceeding 100,000 euros, alongside significant transfers to accounts of leading members of the Giannitsa network. The funds came either from cash deposits, OPEKEPE subsidy credits, or transfers from the company “PROACTIVE MON. A.E.,” where M.K. is employed, though the deposits do not correspond to his salary.

The same sources claim that aggravating circumstances for M.K.—and questions for Mr. Bounakis—arise from the content of conversations recorded through lawful wiretaps.

According to information, in one of the conversations allegedly held recently, and alarmed by the audits conducted at the time by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) at several KYDs, M.K. tells his interlocutor to “issue an invoice from the individual business” to cover amounts he had received from someone named “BOUNAKIS” and from “PROACTIVE.”

According to the Hellenic Police investigation, the total activity of the Giannitsa criminal organization from 2018 to today shows that the individuals under preliminary investigation received subsidies totaling €8,773,678.08, causing damage to EU and Greek state interests amounting to at least €3,654,625.03.

For the remaining individuals included only in the preliminary examination, during the investigation period (2018–2022) they received subsidies totaling €10,827,322.45, with the resulting damage amounting to at least €1,363,037.07. The investigation also revealed that most members had no connection to agricultural activity and that all of their declarations were false. Combined with the fact that OPEKEPE’s auditing covered only a very small percentage of the declared land, authorities estimate that the total damage—after full inspection—will exceed €10 million.

Magirias and the livestock farmer 2ith 6,000 winning lottery tickets

It should be noted that today before the parliamentary inquiry committee will also testify Christos Magirias, the partner of the farmer who owned a Ferrari, and one of the individuals implicated in the OPEKEPE case, who allegedly gained significant sums from lottery winnings.

According to ANT1 News, investigators have identified a major livestock farmer—although it is unclear if this is Mr. Magirias—who declared 6,000 winning lottery tickets.

It is also recalled that last Tuesday the inquiry committee accepted the proposal of New Democracy rapporteur Makarios Lazaridis for the immediate referral to the judiciary and the anti–money laundering authority of all producers who show suspiciously frequent lottery winnings.