One suspect in the ongoing and high-profile investigation into a major farm subsidy scam, revolving around the disbanded OPEKEPE agency, is shown as accumulating “unjustified” assets nearing two and a half million euros over the 2021-2023 period.
The suspect, “G.X.”, a resident of Crete, is also shown as possessing eight cars, including a luxury Jaguar. He is the owner of an office in Irakleio, Crete that prepared applications for subsidies.
It’s this suspect who’s been identified as “Frappes” in numerous media reports citing the probe’s findings, with the name referring to a type of ice coffee that originated in and is popular in Greece. The same nickname reportedly appears in an indictment transferred to Parliament.
While based, professionally, and living on Crete, the specific suspect also declared large tracts of land on the eastern Aegean Island of Chios (Hios) in order to pocket agriculture subsidies. Authorities charged that he would declare the land for subsidies he did not own, receiving the money and then, before the end of the year, revising his statements to claim he declared them by mistake. The latter was done in order to not appear on mandatory statements of means and assets.
Another two suspects in the same case, a couple based in central Greece, appear to have received hundreds of thousands of euros in subsidies, with one of their assets being a Ferrari, as seen in social media posts.
The investigation was begun by the European Prosecutor’s Office in Athens and in short order forced the Greek government to disband the agriculture ministry-affiliated agency and transfer its duties to the independent tax bureau.
Earlier, 37 individuals were arrested around Greece in relation to the case, including Djs, waiters, chefs, unskilled workers and others.
