Greek Police Arrest 37 in EU Farm Subsidy Scandal

Greek police arrested 37 people across Thessaloniki, the Athens region and Crete in a sweep tied to a long-running EU farm subsidy fraud that allegedly used phantom flocks and fictitious land claims to siphon funds. Authorities and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office say the network filed false declarations to OPEKEPE, inflated livestock numbers, issued fictitious invoices and routed proceeds through multiple accounts. Investigators have linked some 324 subsidy recipients to the scheme, estimate losses of roughly €19.6–20 million and say about 42 people are current members of the criminal group. The scandal has led to the resignations of several ministers and deputies and prompted the European Commission to fine Greece €400 million while warning it risks losing future farm aid unless it submits an improved action plan by a revised Nov. 4 deadline. Raids were coordinated with EPPO, which continues its probe into crimes against the EU’s financial interests, while Greek police pursue parallel national investigations.