Operation 'Harvest': 1,151 defendants charged with agricultural subsidy fraud
The DAOAE exposed five criminal groups that illegally collected money from OPEKEPE. The frauds began in 2018, with damages exceeding €17 million.
Operation 'Harvest': 1,151 defendants charged with agricultural subsidy fraud
In a broad operation named 'Harvest', officials from the Organised Crime Confrontation Directorate (DAOAE) uncovered an extensive fraud network in agricultural subsidies. The authorities identified 1,151 people as being involved in five separate criminal groups, which operated in many areas of the country, from Crete to northern Greece.
Arrests have already exceeded 90. Of these, at least 17 were remanded in custody, while around 40 were released on bail after provisional detention. The evidence shows that the organisations had begun their activities from 2018 onwards.
The fraud mechanism was based on finding agricultural plots with active subsidy rights that had not been declared to OPEKEPE. The victims included careless citizens, even deceased persons or the state. The perpetrators registered the fields in asset declarations of relatives or associates of theirs, presenting them as alleged owners or lessees. Using forged ownership documents, they submitted applications for funding. Subsequently, the entries in the E9 were deleted, in an attempt to erase the traces.
The officers also established that some of the perpetrators, who appeared as owners of pastureland, inflated the number of their animals in order to receive larger amounts. In two cases, the groups had the support of employees from Declaration Reception Centres, who played the role of mediators between the farmers and the organisation.
The exact amount of damage remains under investigation, however initial estimates place it above €17 million. A competent government source noted that these are organised structures with clear division of responsibilities and a multi-year presence in the field.
Source: Tá Néa
Source: Ta Nea