Four sitting members of parliament have been charged by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in a case involving illegal subsidies tied to OPEKEPE, Greece’s agricultural payments agency.

According to the case file, charges were brought against Kostas Skrekas, Christos Boukoros, and Maximos Senetakis, in each case for instigating breach of trust and instigating illegal management of European funds.

Katerina Papakosta is reportedly facing additional charges of instigating false certification and attempted computer fraud. The charges follow a months long investigation by European authorities into the handling of illegal subsidies linked to OPEKEPE.

At the same time, the case was closed for MPs Yannis Kefalogiannis, Kostas Tsiaras, Notis Mitarakis, Dimitris Vartzopoulos, Theofilos Leontaridis, Vassilis Vassiliadis, and Kostas Karamanlis, as no evidence of criminal conduct was found against them.

22 Defendants in the EPPO Case File

It has been reported that EPPO’s office in Athens brought criminal charges against 22 defendants, including four sitting MPs, several former senior public officials, and political office staff, as part of an investigation into an alleged organized fraud scheme involving European farm subsidies. By contrast, complaints against seven other sitting MPs were dropped.

As EPPO has already announced, multiple investigations are underway into an alleged organized fraud scheme involving OPEKEPE officials. On April 22, 2026, the Greek Parliament approved the request from the European Chief Prosecutor to lift the immunity of 11 sitting MPs, so that EPPO could proceed with its investigation into acts allegedly committed in 2021 and establish the facts, weighing both incriminating and exonerating evidence.

According to the investigation’s findings, common patterns of corruption emerged in the handling of EU farm subsidies funded through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The evidence points to, among other things, illegal interference in administrative and audit procedures, retroactive alteration of data after mandatory checks were completed, illegal interference in on site inspections, concealment and falsification of audit findings, and false certifications.

For these specific cases, which concern acts committed exclusively in 2021, EPPO brought charges:

• against the former president of OPEKEPE for five counts of breach of trust,
• against the former director general of Direct Payments for two counts of breach of trust,
• against two former OPEKEPE regional directors for breach of trust and illegal management of European Union funds.

The defendants also include four sitting MPs. Three are charged with instigating breach of trust, while the fourth is charged with instigating illegal management of European funds. One of them is facing additional charges of instigating false certification and attempted computer fraud.

The remaining defendants include a staff member from a sitting MP’s political office, an aide to a former minister, a public sector veterinarian, and several subsidy recipients.

They face misdemeanor level charges such as subsidy fraud, attempted computer fraud, and false certification in public documents, with some also charged with the corresponding forms of instigation for the offenses allegedly committed by the senior officials.

EPPO Dropped Charges Against Other MP’s

EPPO also announced that complaints against seven other sitting MPs and two former MPs were dropped, as insufficient evidence was found to justify criminal charges. According to EPPO, all the evidence was assessed objectively and impartially, giving equal weight to both incriminating and exonerating material.

Investigations continue for the remaining individuals involved, including three former MPs.

At the same time, other investigations are underway into alleged criminal acts committed in different years.

Following the filing of criminal charges, the procedures for setting a trial date are expected to be completed shortly.

Mitsotakis Response to the EPPO’s Announcement

Following the cleraring of 9 out of 13 party members by the EPPO, the Greek PM made an announcement at the Government Council for Economic Policy (KYSOIP), claiming that “the European Public Prosecutor’s Office’s announcement brings out the real scale and the full truth about OPEKEPE”.

He noted that of the 13 New Democracy ministers and MPs who had come under investigation, nine turned out to be, in his words, “completely innocent,” while the inquiry into four more officials will continue over misdemeanor level acts. He also recalled that he had asked three ministers to resign as a matter of propriety.

Mitsotakis spoke of “honest politicians who were dragged through the mud for weeks,” noting that the government had been branded a “government of defendants.”

“So who’s going to apologize for those disgraceful acts now?” he asked, criticizing both the opposition, which he accused of failing to respect the presumption of innocence, and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office itself, arguing that it “appeared to get caught up in internal party rivalries.”