Serious shadows, strong concern, and questions about the actions of Ms. Paraskevi Tychero­poulou and the handling of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office are brought to light by extensive investigations of the “Greek FBI” into illegal subsidies at OPEKEPE. Recent arrests in Agrinio and Kozani by the Financial Police, as part of “Operation Harvest,” link the former head of the organization’s Control Directorate and close collaborator of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office with leading members of complex criminal networks that were receiving subsidies at the expense of genuine farmers.

According to the case file of the competent authorities, at least 7 of the 13 arrested had illegally collected more than €700,000. The irregular payments were made through decisions by Ms. Tychero­poulou during her tenure as Director of Controls and Payments of the organization (2022–2024) and were found a year later locked in her personal cabinet. These were hierarchical appeals that she herself approved, although the organization’s audit authorities had identified numerous violations and had called on the producers in question to repay amounts ranging from €150,000 to €450,000 as unduly received funds.

The development of this case suggests that these farmers could have been arrested as early as 2022 and forced to return the illegally obtained money, but with the protection of Ms. Tycheroπούλου—who approved their appeals irregularly—they continued their criminal activity until recently.

The OPEKEPE case: The European Public Prosecutor’s Office knew about Tychero­poulou’s illegal actions

Responsibilities
The troubling case takes on broader dimensions touching the European Public Prosecutor’s Office as well. A document published by “To Thema” shows that delegated European prosecutors had been informed in detail as early as March 2025 about the problematic actions of Ms. Tycheroπούλου, yet they appear to have chosen to continue cooperating with her. Specifically, on 29 April 2025, the then president of OPEKEPE, Nikos Salatas, in a confidential response document, outlined the reasons why Ms. Tychero­poulou should not only not be seconded to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to assist in investigations, but should herself be placed under investigation for a series of violations.

Among other things, Mr. Salatas informed the prosecutorial authority about problematic payments made by Ms. Tycheroπούλου to producers who were later arrested by the “Greek FBI.” In particular, the experienced judicial official referred to the “alleged commission of criminal acts concerning the unlawful acceptance and examination of applications for remedies—hierarchical appeals—and their subsequent approval, resulting in damage to the funds of the European Union’s primary sector of at least €718,536,” listing specific cases and amounts per beneficiary.

The OPEKEPE case: The European Public Prosecutor’s Office knew about Tychero­poulou’s illegal actions
The document signed on 29.4.2025 by the then president of OPEKEPE, Nikos Salatas, leaves clear implications regarding the cooperation of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office with Paraskevi Tycheroπούλου

Dimitra Chalikia

It is worth noting that the head of the Greek branch of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Nikos Paschalis, responding at the time to Salatas’ claims, stated that he was not aware of the relevant allegations and assured that he would inform the case prosecutor for OPEKEPE, Popi Papandreou, so she could examine the possibility of terminating cooperation with Ms. Tychero­poulou. However, the actual events suggest that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office chose not to deal with the specific evidence indicating possible damage to EU funds.

On the contrary, the investigation was recently initiated by the Financial Police following sworn testimony voluntarily provided by the former vice-president of OPEKEPE, Dimitra Chalikia.

The experienced official presented data from OPEKEPE’s information system to the authorities, which confirm the initial reports by Mr. Salatas and show that those arrested in Kozani had illegally received hundreds of thousands of euros through decisions by Ms. Tychero­poulou. However, she herself maintains that the hierarchical appeals found in her office were properly approved, as the producers (many of whom were recently arrested) had submitted the required supporting documents during the re-audit process.