An investigation into the OPEKEPE case has brought to light thousands of suspicious lottery winnings allegedly connected to fraudulent agricultural subsidies, sparking intense interest from authorities. As revealed by Tasos Telloglou on ANT1’s main news broadcast with Nikos Chatzinikolaou, authorities have evidence regarding specific livestock farmers and agricultural producers who have come under investigation.
Livestock farmer allegedly accumulated 6,000 winning lottery tickets in 2022
In Central Greece, one livestock farmer allegedly accumulated 6,000 winning lottery tickets in 2022. After an audit, he submitted a corrective tax declaration showing €300,000 as a parental gift from his mother. The “coincidence” is that another beneficiary, from a large island, who is being investigated for similar cases, also submitted a corrective declaration. Tasos Telloglou explained that in tax declarations there is code 781, which is usually not carefully examined by tax offices. This is where money from the sale of assets or income that has been taxed at source is declared, as happens with these specific tickets.
According to the journalist, accountants in the past had easier access to these amounts. Up to €1,000, tickets must be nominalized and payment must be made through banks. However, in certain cases, accountants collect non-nominalized tickets and transfer them to third parties who use them for profits.
