ATHENS, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Greek police on Monday arrested 20 people on the island of Crete over their alleged involvement in an agricultural subsidy fraud network, as investigations into the misuse of European Union agricultural funds in Greece continue to expand.
According to Greek newspaper Ekathimerini, the operation was led by Crete's organized crime unit and carried out simultaneously in the regions of Rethymno, Heraklion, and Lasithi. Investigators said the suspects allegedly fraudulently obtained EU agricultural subsidies over several years through false declarations and fabricated land lease agreements.
Those arrested included two accountants and three officials from local declaration reception centers, who are believed to have played key roles in the network, the police said.
Authorities estimated that the group illegally obtained more than 3 million euros (3.4 million U.S. dollars) in less than five years, while around 90 additional individuals remain under investigation.
The OPEKEPE scandal has become one of the most closely watched cases in Greece in recent years involving the alleged misuse of funds under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. Previous investigations by the European Public Prosecutor's Office uncovered irregularities in Greece's agricultural subsidy system between 2018 and 2022.
Only days before the latest arrests, an Athens felony appeals court convicted 13 people in another major OPEKEPE subsidy fraud case involving illegal agricultural payments issued in the northern Greek region of Serres between 2016 and 2018.
OPEKEPE, Greece's former agricultural subsidy payment agency, was dissolved in 2025 following repeated EU fines and accusations of systemic fraud. Responsibility for managing agricultural subsidy payments has since been transferred to Greek tax authorities. ■