Shock for OPEKEPE: 57 Cretan farmers found guilty!
A Greek court convicted 57 of 58 Cretan farmers for fraudulently claiming agricultural subsidies by falsely declaring ownership of land in Northern Greece they did not operate.
According to the charge by the European prosecutor’s office, the farmers from Crete declared that they owned or operated thousands of acres in the Kastoria area. Those convicted received money from the national reserve, presenting the land sometimes as pastures and other times as arable with olive or almond trees – crops that do not thrive in those areas.
The judges, by majority, acquitted one female farmer. They accepted her claim that she had returned with interest the amounts she had received, which are calculated at around 30,000 euros.
Reductions and Conversions of Charges
The court also proceeded to convert charges for some of those convicted and reduced the amounts that had initially been attributed to them. The defendants did not appear in person, but were represented by their lawyers.
The procedure has not been completed. It will continue on July 1, when the court will examine the mitigating circumstances requested by the defense and will decide on the sentences.
The Origin of the Case
The case began from a complaint by the president of the Agricultural Cooperative of Kastoria, who also testified as a witness during the trial, as reported by Politic.
These developments bring back to the forefront issues of control and transparency in agricultural subsidies, something that politically embarrasses the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, especially in this particularly long pre-election period…
