The independent European Union’s public prosecution office said Wednesday it has appealed an Athens court’s acquittal of one defendant in a large case of EU farm subsidy fraud linked with the now-defunct state OPEKEPE agency.
The Greek court last week convicted 57 people from Crete and sentenced them to between one and three years in prison, suspended for three years. Also, 28 defendants were fined between €500 and €8,000.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that it has appealed the acquittal, by majority, of one defendant who had repaid €32,320 corresponding to the received subsidies.
“The EPPO filed an appeal against the acquittal on 6 July 2026, taking the view that repayment does not eliminate the damage caused to the National Reserve [of funds available for Greece], whose resources are irreversibly depleted once unlawfully allocated,” the statement said.
It also said the EPPO is assessing the possible criminal liability of three former OPEKEPE officials who allegedly carried out inspections regarding several of the declared pasture plots.
