The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the use of European Union funds allocated for migrant food services and the construction of accommodation facilities in Greece. The probe appears to have advanced after investigators recently searched the offices of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.
The investigation focuses primarily on EU-funded programs after 2020, including contracts for providing meals to migrants housed in reception facilities and the management of funds used to build accommodation centers on Greek islands and the mainland.
The recent search of the ministry’s offices suggests the inquiry has moved beyond an initial stage, with witnesses reportedly already questioned.
Until 2020, food supply contracts for migrant facilities were handled through emergency procedures, extensions and individual assignments. From 2016 to 2021, the Ministry of National Defence was the main contracting authority responsible for food services at migrant accommodation sites. After the establishment of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum in 2020, responsibility for those contracts was not immediately transferred and remained under the Defence Ministry for a period of time.
In September 2021, the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, under then-minister Notis Mitarakis, signed a new framework agreement for food provision. Because the contract exceeded 20 million euros, Mitarakis presented the matter to Parliament, saying the tender had been conducted through international competitive procedures under Greece’s public procurement law.
