Thirty-seven people who are part of an organised crime group have been arrested in Greece over large-scale EU farm funding fraud.
An investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Athens found that since at least 2018, the group is believed to have been operating across the whole of Greece, with a clear hierarchical structure, distinct roles and continuous activity up to this day.
They allegedly exploited procedural gaps in the submission of the equivalent of the Basic Payment Scheme applications under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), using falsified or misleading documents to claim agricultural subsidies from Greece’s payment and control agency for guidance and guarantee community aid.
The members of the organised criminal group are also suspected of fraudulently declaring agricultural land and pastures that did not belong to them or did not meet eligibility criteria.
“They allegedly inflated livestock numbers to increase their subsidy entitlements. To conceal the illicit origin of the proceeds, the suspects are believed to have issued fictitious invoices, routed the funds through multiple bank accounts and mixed them with legitimate income. Part of the misappropriated money was allegedly spent on luxury goods, travel and vehicles, to disguise the funds as lawful asset,” the EPPO said.
EU budget
In the course of the preliminary investigation, 324 individuals were identified as subsidy recipients, causing an estimated damage of more than €19.6m to the EU budget.
Of these, 42 are believed to be involved in this case and are considered current members of the organised criminal group.
Most of them appear to have no actual connection to farming, suggesting that their participation served solely to facilitate the fraud, the EPPO said.
Asset-freezing measures concerning the members of the criminal organisation are being carried out by the relevant authorities.
All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Greek courts of law.
The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.
Read more
Four before Romanian courts accused of €2.2m EU farm funding fraud
Investigation into €136,000 CAP money fraud in Lithuania
Thirty-seven people who are part of an organised crime group have been arrested in Greece over large-scale EU farm funding fraud.
An investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Athens found that since at least 2018, the group is believed to have been operating across the whole of Greece, with a clear hierarchical structure, distinct roles and continuous activity up to this day.
They allegedly exploited procedural gaps in the submission of the equivalent of the Basic Payment Scheme applications under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), using falsified or misleading documents to claim agricultural subsidies from Greece’s payment and control agency for guidance and guarantee community aid.
The members of the organised criminal group are also suspected of fraudulently declaring agricultural land and pastures that did not belong to them or did not meet eligibility criteria.
“They allegedly inflated livestock numbers to increase their subsidy entitlements. To conceal the illicit origin of the proceeds, the suspects are believed to have issued fictitious invoices, routed the funds through multiple bank accounts and mixed them with legitimate income. Part of the misappropriated money was allegedly spent on luxury goods, travel and vehicles, to disguise the funds as lawful asset,” the EPPO said.
EU budget
In the course of the preliminary investigation, 324 individuals were identified as subsidy recipients, causing an estimated damage of more than €19.6m to the EU budget.
Of these, 42 are believed to be involved in this case and are considered current members of the organised criminal group.
Most of them appear to have no actual connection to farming, suggesting that their participation served solely to facilitate the fraud, the EPPO said.
Asset-freezing measures concerning the members of the criminal organisation are being carried out by the relevant authorities.
All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Greek courts of law.
The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.
Read more
Four before Romanian courts accused of €2.2m EU farm funding fraud
Investigation into €136,000 CAP money fraud in Lithuania
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