Concern and criticism were aired on Thursday by a handful of Greek lawmakers under investigation in the farm subsidies case (the so-called OPEKEPE furor) after a summons issued by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) mistakenly referred to felony charges instead of lesser misdemeanor counts.
The MPs had been called to submit written explanations by May 22. However, multiple summons incorrectly stated they were facing felony counts, even though most are being investigated only for misdemeanors. Corrected notices were sent later on Wednesday, with officials attributing the error to a copy-paste mistake by an employee.
EPPO officials said the issue does not affect the substance of the case or the validity of the proceedings. Eleven lawmakers remain under investigation and are expected to provide unsworn statements later this month, with some likely to request extensions to prepare their defense.
According to case details, only two political figures — Kostas Achilleas Karamanlis and Katerina Papakosta — face felony-level scrutiny due to amounts exceeding 120,000 euros, while the remaining nine deputies of the ruling New Democracy party are being investigated for lesser offenses – in some cases for contacting the now disbanded OPEKEPE agency to request accelerated processes for constituent agriculture producers.
The mistake prompted reactions from the deputies and their attorneys, who sought immediate clarification and raised concerns over procedural handling.
The development comes amid heightened scrutiny of the OPEKEPE case over the recent period, with media reports citing mounting political pressure and broader questions surrounding oversight of agricultural subsidies and accountability in Greece’s public sector.
