Questions have emerged over whether Greek police initially sent incomplete evidence to European prosecutors in a widening investigation into alleged fraud involving European Union farm subsidies, according to a report by Kathimerini.
The case centers on Greece’s farm payments agency, known by its acronym OPEKEPE, and alleged irregularities in the distribution of EU funds.
According to the report, the police Internal Affairs division forwarded only part of the material it had collected — including limited wiretap evidence — when it first submitted a case file to national prosecutors in 2021 and later to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).
The investigation is based on anonymous complaints filed in 2021 alleging fraud involving agency officials and local farmers. Authorities subsequently authorized the tapping of phones belonging to 16 suspects, mainly OPEKEPE officials, including its then president.
Wiretapped conversations from 2021–2022 reportedly indicated potential links to around 20 political figures. However, early case files sent to prosecutors contained few or no references to politicians, according to sources cited in the report.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office identified gaps in the material in mid-2023 and issued repeated requests for more complete evidence, including full transcripts of intercepted communications.
A revised file submitted later that year included, for the first time, the names of two politicians. Additional material, including full transcripts of the wiretaps, was only completed in 2025 after further requests by European prosecutors.
The final police report was transmitted to the European prosecutor in recent days. Authorities are now reviewing the evidence, including financial records of individuals mentioned in the conversations, as part of an ongoing investigation.
European prosecutors have moved to open case files covering earlier evidence to avoid potential statute-of-limitations issues, while newer material is expected to form the basis of further proceedings.
The case has added to political pressure in Greece, where investigations into EU subsidy management have triggered broader scrutiny of oversight mechanisms and potential links between public officials and funding allocations.