ATHENS, Greece – Greek authorities estimate at least 23 million euros ($26 million) in EU farm subsidies to the country have gone to fraudulent claimants, a government minister said Tuesday.
The European Union is currently investigating allegations of massive graft targeting its agricultural subsidies to Greece, after accusations that aid was illegally paid to unqualified recipients.
Greek authorities, who launched their own probe after the scandal erupted, examined 6,354 aid recipients, of whom 1,036 were determined to have received illegal payments totaling 23 million euros, said Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis.
The findings have been referred to the courts, which can now authorize “the confiscation of assets from those who wrongfully received these subsidies”, he said.
The fraud scheme mainly involved false declarations of farmland or livestock herds, the minister said.
“We must not tolerate certain people coveting precious public resources,” he told a news conference.
“These funds were intended to support the Greek agriculture sector, not to make a few people rich, illegally and unjustifiably.”
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‘Widespread’ abuse
The findings come after EU investigators raided the Athens offices of the Greek government agency that handled the payments, OPEKEPE.
The EU probe has shown widespread abuse of funds at now-shuttered OPEKEPE, which according to the government annually disbursed more than three billion euros, mainly in subsidies to 680,000 farmers.
The period under investigation is mostly under the current government of conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who came to power in July 2019.
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But the government claims the fraud has gone on for decades.
The scandal has led to the resignations of a cabinet minister and several other senior officials.
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