The prosecutor has requested that seven defendants be found guilty in a case involving illegal agricultural subsidies from OPEKEPE (Greek Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid).

This case, which is nearing a verdict, is among several pending before the Greek judiciary regarding the unlawful receipt of agricultural subsidies.

Specifically, in today’s hearing regarding fraud involving EU subsidies to new or recently-entered farmers for the 2019–2020 period, the prosecutor proposed that all the defendants in this case be declared guilty.

In total, seven individuals are implicated, including one lawyer. It was stated during the trial that all of them have returned the subsidy money they received.

According to available information, the defendants are alleged to have either received or assisted others in unlawfully obtaining subsidies ranging from €25,000 to €90,000 in 2019, despite not being eligible.

In presenting her argument, Prosecutor Kalliopi Dayanta requested the conviction of all seven defendants, who are charged, among other things, with the misdemeanor offense of fraud against the EU.

The prosecutor stated in court: “The defendants have committed the acts attributed to them.”

She also recommended the rejection of their claims of legal error and the argument that the criminal offense should be nullified because they returned the funds. Regarding this latter point, the prosecutor emphasized that “the legal conditions for this do not apply,” as “OPEKEPE is not considered the injured party since the funds disbursed do not belong to it, being financed by European agricultural funds.”

Concluding her argument, the prosecutor stated: “The act attributed to the defendants was not against the property of OPEKEPE, but against the interests of the EU.”

Furthermore, the prosecutor requested that the court forward trial documents to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to investigate whether a felony fraud offense against the EU was committed by OPEKEPE employees who conducted the checks and deemed the defendants’ documents to be in order.

Among other points, Ms. Dayanta noted: “The responsible OPEKEPE officials did not take effective measures to ensure where the funds were going or to investigate the possibility of fraud by Greek citizens who received subsidies in this manner.”

Lastly, the prosecutor requested that forgery charges also be investigated regarding a will submitted by specific defendants, which allegedly showed them as heirs to thousands of acres of land.