Athens, Greece — The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) announced the arrest of 37 members of a highly structured organised criminal group operating across Greece and involved in a large-scale agricultural subsidy fraud scheme targeting the EU budget.
According to the investigation, the group had been active since at least 2018 and used a sophisticated internal hierarchy. Members submitted fraudulent “Single Aid Applications” for EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies by exploiting loopholes, falsifying documents and manipulating land-ownership data.
Authorities say the organisation systematically claimed agricultural land and pastures that did not belong to the applicants or did not meet eligibility criteria. In many cases, the alleged farmers had no connection to agriculture at all. The group also inflated livestock numbers to boost subsidy amounts.
To disguise profits, the criminal network created a complex money-laundering system. Members issued fake invoices, routed funds through multiple bank accounts and mixed illicit money with legitimate income. Some of the proceeds were spent on luxury goods, foreign travel and high-value vehicles to conceal their illegal origin.
The fraud involved 324 individuals receiving agricultural payments, with 42 identified as having direct connections to the criminal operation. Estimated damage to the EU budget exceeds €19.6 million.
The arrests were made jointly with Greek anti-crime divisions from Athens, Northern Greece and Crete. The Hellenic Financial Intelligence Unit also initiated asset-freezing measures targeting the suspects.
EPPO stated that all arrested individuals remain presumed innocent until proven guilty under Greek law.
