A “battle” to refute the serious charges brought against them is expected from the 16 defendants from Crete who are involved in the network that allegedly defrauded OPEKEPE through illegal subsidy claims, before the Greek-appointed European prosecutor, during their testimonies scheduled from Tuesday through Thursday.
Defense attorneys for the 16 defendants characterize the indictment as baseless and legally unfounded. They argue that their clients did not participate in an organized criminal network and express confidence that the charges will collapse during judicial investigation. According to the case file compiled by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, four Declaration Reception Centers (DRCs) are involved, through which a total of 143 false or inaccurate Single Aid Applications were allegedly submitted. Investigation findings reveal that members of the alleged organization worked or collaborated with the DRCs, facilitating the submission and finalization of declarations by exploiting their procedural knowledge and system control gaps.
Financial flows discovered during the investigation reportedly played a significant role in substantiating charges against those involved. Specifically, it emerged that OPEKEPE subsidies were deposited into bank accounts that did not belong to the apparent beneficiaries, but to leadership or core members of the group. A total of 11 such accounts were identified, including an account belonging to a deceased person, which showed credits and withdrawals even after their death.
According to the case file, the matter involves a multi-member criminal organization that allegedly operated during 2019-2025, submitting false declarations to OPEKEPE to illegally collect agricultural subsidies. The defendants allegedly declared agricultural plots without legal possession, lands far from their place of residence, and properties of deceased persons without inheritance rights, while also declaring animals that either didn’t exist or didn’t belong to the applicants, artificially inflating subsidy amounts. Criminal prosecution has been initiated against the 16 defendants for various felonies, including formation and membership in a criminal organization, directing and supporting a criminal organization, grant-related fraud, fraud against the financial interests of the European Union and the Greek state, and money laundering from criminal activities.
It should be noted that Thursday, the alleged organization leader, well-known union leader Myron Chiletzakis, and involved accountant Georgios Lambrakis, godfather to PASOK president Nikos Androulakis, are expected to appear before the prosecutor.
