Four Greek lawmakers charged with EU agricultural subsidy fr

Athens, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The European Prosecutor's Office announced on the 16th that 22 people, including 4 current Greek parliamentarians and several former senior public officials, were charged in Athens on suspicion of fraud in EU agricultural subsidy funds.

 

Among them, three members of parliament were charged with instigating the abuse of trust, and one member of parliament was charged with instigating the illegal management of EU funds. One of the four individuals mentioned above is also charged with attempted computer fraud and inciting the issuance of false certificates.

 

The prosecutor stated that this is a large-scale organized fraud case, and the officials involved are suspected of assisting in the illegal distribution of EU agricultural subsidies to ineligible beneficiaries through forged documents and other illegal means, with the amount involved possibly reaching hundreds of millions of euros. If convicted, the defendant will face up to 5 years in prison and a fine. 

 

In June 2025, five senior Greek government officials, including the then Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Makis Volodys, resigned on suspicion of distributing EU agricultural subsidies to ineligible Greek farmers through forged documents. In April of this year, the Greek government underwent another restructuring due to the scandal of falsely claiming EU agricultural subsidies.