OPEKEPE: 19 convicted of subsidy fraud with false land-area declarations
The three-member misdemeanour court convicted 19 of the 22 accused producers of fraud against OPEKEPE, with imprisonment and financial penalties.
Convictions for ghost subsidies at OPEKEPE
Sentences of one to two years' imprisonment with three-year suspension were imposed on 15 accused individuals, whilst financial penalties were imposed on four others, according to a ruling by the three-member misdemeanour court in a fraud case against OPEKEPE. According to gr.euronews.com, a total of 19 of the 22 accused were found guilty of false declarations concerning the fictitious use of agricultural land in remote areas of the country.
The court found 14 accused guilty as direct perpetrators of fraud related to subsidies. The subsidies they illegally received ranged between €25,000 and €80,000 for the years 2019 and 2020.
Five additional accused were convicted as accomplices to the fraud. One of them was sentenced to one year's imprisonment with suspension, whilst the other four were ordered to pay financial penalties ranging from €8,500 to €11,000.
By majority, the judges recognised the mitigating factor of a law-abiding life in 18 of the 19 convicted individuals, despite the opposing recommendation of the prosecution.
How the scheme was set up
According to the case file, producers from Crete submitted false declarations to OPEKEPE during 2019–2020, appearing as tenants of land belonging to private individuals — mainly in island areas such as Kalymnos, Andros and Kasos. The aim was the unlawful receipt of subsidies.
Many of the disputed land parcels belonged to the state or to third parties, whilst others had never been declared by their purported owners. The alleged annual rents listed in the declarations were exceptionally low.
The prosecutor sought conviction of all
The assigned European Prosecutor Dionysis Mouzakis had requested the conviction of all 22 accused. According to Mouzakis, the 16 producers and those appearing as landowners "submitted a false declaration to OPEKEPE, given that the declared owners of the land did not actually have ownership of the land".
The prosecuting official also noted that no agricultural activity by the accused was proven and that the land parcels were located at great distance from their place of residence. "Their guilt has been fully proven," he concluded.
The case was based on a case file compiled by European Prosecutors as part of their investigation into OPEKEPE.
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)