Investigators say at least eight additional networks are under scrutiny nationwide following the exposure of a major scheme involving fake farmland and unlawfully claimed EU agricultural funds.

Individuals arrested in Crete, Friday, December 12, in connection with the large-scale farm subsidy scandal, face multiple felony charges including organized crime, fraud, and money laundering

Authorities on Friday cited the existence of an “extended network” in Irakleio (Herakleio) set up to bilk fraudulent payments from the new defunct OPEKEPE agency that operated under the rural development ministry

Greek authorities launched a major operation in Crete over alleged fraudulent agricultural subsidies, conducting home searches and detaining 14 people as the investigation intensifies

Farmers across Greece stage road blockades over unpaid subsidies, sending messages to the government while tensions rise with authorities and new protests are planned nationwide

Former agriculture minister Makis Voridis told Parliament’s investigative committee he never intervened in subsidy cases, rejecting claims of pressure, favoritism, while accusing the opposition of a political witch hunt as the OPEKEPE inquiry deepens

Former minister Lefteris Avgenakis denied wrongdoing before Parliament’s OPEKEPE inquiry, as the government seeks to restore credibility in Greece’s farm subsidy agency and regain EU trust

The European Commission has sent a warning letter to Greece, demanding a new framework for farm subsidy payments by November 4 or risk suspension of €600 million in EU agricultural funds.

The farming scandal issue was one of the topics Greek PM Mitsotakis commented on in his weekly Facebook review.

Ioannis Kaimakamis has stepped down from his role as vice president of Greece’s OPEKEPE agency. The resignation, effective from October 16, was accepted by the Minister of Rural Development and formally published today in the government transparency portal Diavgeia

The alleged leader of a criminal network accused of defrauding Greece’s agricultural payment agency has been jailed, bringing the total number of pre-trial detentions to ten. The case involves 37 defendants accused of illegally claiming EU farm subsidies

The number of suspects held in pre-trial detention has risen to eight as judicial questioning continues in Greece’s OPEKEPE subsidy fraud case involving an alleged network accused of defrauding millions in EU farm subsidies through Greece’s OPEKEPE agency

Eleven defendants in a Greek agricultural subsidy investigation were released with restrictions after denying wrongdoing. Authorities continue hearings, with remaining accused scheduled to testify over the weekend

After overnight questioning in Thessaloniki, 34 of the 37 suspects in the major OPEKEPE subsidy fraud case were transferred to Athens under tight police escort.

The suspect has been repeatedly identified as "frappes", referring to the popular ice coffee

At the OPEKEPE trial in Athens former president Dimitris Melas and ex-director Athanasia Reppa stand accused over farm subsidy audit irregularities

Specifically, European Anti-Fraud Office (Olaf) inspectors reportedly scrutinized subsidy and compensation payments over the 2014-2025 period

Ex-president Grigoris Varras has accused political and corporate figures of pressuring him to resign, while new testimonies and delays in hearings show the inquiry is still unfolding

Ex-OPEKEPE president Grigoris Varras told a parliamentary inquiry his dismissal was ordered under pressure from a private contractor and executed by then minister Makis Voridis.

The inquest on Tempe has finished and we can expect a trial date to be set for the coming months. The Agricultural Subsidies Agency (OPEKEPE) is in court, and the first convictions are coming through