Greek police arrest another 17 over EU agricultural subsidy fraud
Greek authorities have arrested another 17 suspects for embezzling millions of euros from EU agricultural subsidies. The total number of people arrested has reached 39.
Greek police arrest another 17 over EU agricultural subsidy fraud
On Tuesday, Greek authorities announced the arrest of another seventeen people as part of an investigation into the embezzlement of millions of euros from European Union agricultural subsidies. With these arrests, the total number of people detained in the case rose to thirty-nine since the beginning of the week. According to news agency AFP, to this figure should be added dozens of people who had been arrested in October 2025.
The online edition of the newspaper Kathimerini added that Tuesday's police operation was directed by the organised crime fighting unit in Thessaloniki.
The subjects examined were two farmer support centres (KYD) in Thessaloniki and Serres, through which accomplices from 2019 onwards submitted unlawful applications for agricultural payments. Those alleged to be members of the criminal group were arrested in Thessaloniki, Serres, Kilkis and Athens. Police estimate that the illegal profits of the network exceeded €4.5 million.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) announced in 2025 that it was investigating "mass and systematic" fraud and suspicions of money laundering linked to the distribution of agricultural subsidies to Greek farmers via the former paying agency OPEKEPE. According to preliminary estimates, losses exceeded nineteen million euros.
This scandal in Greece has already led to the resignation of three ministers and many deputy ministers from the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Source: Aktuality