Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 22, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
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Greek police arrested dozens in a scandal involving fake land ownership to obtain EU farm subsidies, with 37 detained and a probe into OPEKEPE launched.
ATHENS (Reuters) -Greek police arrested dozens of people across the country on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a scandal in which farmers faked land and livestock ownership to receive EU agricultural subsidies.
The case emerged when European prosecutors said this year they had found evidence that farmers and state officials have defrauded the European Union of subsidies, at least since 2019.
The case has rocked Greece and a parliamentary committee has launched a probe into the government agency OPEKEPE, which handles farm subsidies and distributes 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion) in aid annually to hundreds of thousands of farmers.
Thirty-seven people have been detained, police officials said on Wednesday, adding that most of them were not farmers and among the suspects were private sector employees.
Police estimate that the alleged ring received 20 million euros in subsidies in 2018-2022 and that about half of the financial aid was obtained illegally.
The raids and searches on Wednesday were coordinated with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), which is investigating crimes against the financial interests of the EU and has been looking into the Greek case in recent years.
Greek police have also launched a separate investigation and some of the suspects were identified in both probes.
($1 = 0.8575 euros)
(Reporting by Yannis Souliotis; Writing by Renee Maltezou, Editing by Ed Osmond)
EU farm subsidies are financial aids provided by the European Union to support farmers and enhance agricultural productivity. These subsidies can help stabilize farm incomes and promote sustainable farming practices.
Financial crime refers to illegal acts committed for financial gain, including fraud, money laundering, and embezzlement. It often involves deceitful practices to manipulate financial systems.
Compliance refers to the process of adhering to laws, regulations, and guidelines set by authorities. In finance, it ensures that organizations operate within legal frameworks to prevent financial misconduct.
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