A 38-year-old man from Giannitsa, believed to be the ringleader of a criminal organisation that fraudulently obtained agricultural subsidies from Greece’s Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid (OPEKEPE), has been remanded in custody.
The suspect appeared before the European Investigating Magistrate on Monday, becoming the tenth defendant to be jailed in connection with the large-scale subsidy fraud case. He faces serious charges related to organised crime, fraud, and money laundering, involving a network accused of systematically exploiting OPEKEPE’s subsidy system.
According to judicial sources, the defendant partially admitted his involvement, saying that “the acts attributed to me have been committed by many.” He reportedly added that it was “unfair” for all the offences to be attributed to him alone, and that his former wife — who testified on Sunday and has been placed under house arrest with an electronic bracelet — bore no responsibility.
“I admit what I have done,” he was quoted as saying. “It is not fair that actions carried out by many are all being attributed to me. The individual responsibility of each person who received money into their account cannot be labelled as a criminal organisation. My ex-wife has nothing to do with this.”
The case, which has drawn significant attention due to its scope and alleged misuse of EU agricultural funds, involves a total of 37 defendants. The final group of suspects is expected to testify before the magistrate on Monday.
(Source: Amna)
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