The scandal engulfing Greece’s agricultural subsidy agency deepened this week, as the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) transmitted a 3,000-page case file to the Greek Parliament. At the core of the investigation is an alleged criminal organisation involving senior officials of the Greek Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aids (OPEKEPE), government ministers, MPs and intermediaries, all suspected of facilitating fraudulent access to EU funds.

The case file includes dozens of phone conversations intercepted by Greece’s National Intelligence Service (EYP), shedding light on a web of political influence, pressure on prosecutors, and direct interventions to bypass inspections and manipulate subsidy disbursements.

The six focal points of the EPPO case file

According to a 34-page summary of findings compiled by European Prosecutor Popi Papandreou, the case focusses on the following:

  1. Criminal liability of former ministers: Former Ministers of Rural Development Makis Voridis and Lefteris Avgenakis are under investigation for alleged complicity and moral instigation in acts of breach of duty against the EU’s financial interests, causing damages exceeding €120,000.
  2. Risk of statute limitations: Some of the offences being examined date back to 2019, before the constitutional revision that eliminated early expiration deadlines for ministerial offences.
  3. Recorded interventions by MPs: Wiretaps captured MPs from New Democracy, PASOK and SYRIZA allegedly seeking favours for constituents, often bypassing legal requirements.
  4. Illegal pastureland declarations: Conversations between former OPEKEPE president Kyriakos Babasidis and New Democracy MP Christos Kellas allegedly involve irregular claims on pastures by regional authorities.
  5. MP involvement in individual cases: PASOK MP Freddy Parasiris reportedly requested updates on a questionable subsidy application; SYRIZA MP Vassilis Kokkalis allegedly followed up on unpaid aid despite judicial rulings in favour of the applicant.
  6. Extensive abuse of subsidy schemes: Among the most brazen examples is the organic beekeeping programme, where applications totalling €170 million were submitted against a budget of just €18.8 million. Claims included non-existent beehives, crops planted on a disused military airstrip, and land declared in North Macedonia.

“We can’t remove the EU Prosecutor; she’s out of our jurisdiction”

The recordings place former ministers Makis Voridis and Lefteris Avgenakis at the heart of a sprawling network. In one particularly revealing exchange, a local OPEKEPE director expresses concern over ex-minister Avgenakis’s potential replacement. She is reassured by a farmer from Heraklion, nicknamed “Frappe” (Φραπές), who says:

“Makis promised me – all the way, no holding back. And he also called [Justice Minister] Floridis. If they don’t get rid of Papandreou [the European Prosecutor] now, we’ve got a problem.”

Another official chimes in, noting that Papandreou may be out of reach:

“We can’t – she’s European, outside our jurisdiction.”

To which Frappe responds confidently:

“She’s Greek. Appointed by the Ministry of Justice.”

Elsewhere, Georgios Xylouris, a New Democracy member, attempts to boost morale in a call with Kyriakos Babasidis, then head of OPEKEPE:

“As long as the Maximos Mansion [the prime minister’s office] stands and Makis stands, you’re a rock that won’t fall. So go there and f*** them.”

The crude familiarity continues in conversations between officials and contractors. In one, Antonis Korovesis jokes with former OPEKEPE president Dimitris Melas:

“They spoiled you, you got a little bit. Are you sitting in your chair now enjoying the thirty thousand you got?”

Melas replies laughing:

“I’ll become a farmer too, you bastard.”

“Convert the corn” – direct interventions by deputy ministers

Attempts to manipulate the subsidy system for favoured individuals have directly implicated several current deputy ministers. During a call, Deputy Minister of Rural Development Dionysis Stamenitis makes a blunt request to the president of OPEKEPE:

“They told me that [name redacted] managed to convert an area of sweet corn to regular corn. I want you to tell me how I can do it too…”

When told the action was likely irregular, he insists:

“No, I’m sure it’s possible.”

In another exchange from September 2021, Maximos Senetakis – now Deputy Minister for Development – intervenes to reduce a farmer’s declared livestock:

“He produced 24 tonnes of milk and wants the number of animals reduced from 330 to 240.”

Melas replies with a warning:

“I’ll fix it. But tell him not to brag in cafés. Too many like him have been left out.”

Elsewhere, Senetakis offers to send a VAT number for review:

“Should I send you a VAT number to see if we can open it? Let’s see what we can do.”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes,” replies Melas.

“Get him out of the inspection”

The recording also shows Christos Boukoros, the current Deputy Minister of Digital Governance, pressuring Melas to exempt a constituent from the inspection:

“I’ll send you a name so we can get him out of the inspection. Can we give him time? If not, maybe say it’s for health reasons – or delete the goats?”

Melas responds warily:

“Everything is possible – the question is who’s watching. That’s the real story.”

“I was removed because I ordered inspections”

Former OPEKEPE president Grigoris Varras offers a stark account of why he believes he was forced out in 2020:

“I was exclusively focused on legality and transparency. I ordered inspections of subsidies that had been granted without legal conditions. This caused strong reactions from a system both inside and outside the organisation that wanted me gone.”

Restricted access to case files deepens political tensions

Tensions rose further in Parliament as opposition MPs have accused the major parties of hoarding access to the files. According to reports, MPs from New Democracy, PASOK and SYRIZA have been given copies, while members of smaller parties have been denied access.

The government’s embarrassment has deepened with revelations that Voridis, during his time as minister, signed a controversial decision relocating grazing lands away from Crete – allegedly to benefit local clients. Voridis denies wrongdoing, claiming the decision originated within OPEKEPE.

Fabricated beehives, non-existent crops, and a €170 million gold rush

One of the most egregious abuses uncovered relates to the organic beekeeping programme. Applications were submitted totalling €170 million – nearly ten times the available budget of €18.8 million. Crete alone reportedly claimed 55% of this amount.

Some applicants received certificates for 300–500 beehives without owning a single hive. Others declared crops in implausible locations – including on a former military airstrip in Agrinio, and even in pastureland located in North Macedonia.

According to journalist Katia Makri (ANT1), as many as 40 MPs may be involved in the scandal, with at least ten facing possible further investigation. Among them are Deputy Ministers Dionysis Stamenitis and Tasos Hatzivassiliou. The former allegedly solicited bribes, while the latter is believed to have recorded a conversation.

Political consequences and shifting alliances

While the case has caused significant discomfort in the Maximos Palace, PASOK has announced it will support the establishment of a preliminary parliamentary investigation – despite the fact that one of its own MPs, Freddy Parasiris, is among those named. Parasiris denies any involvement.

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