OPEKEPE Shockwave: European Prosecutor Files Criminal Charges Against 16 Suspects for Serious Felonies

A judicial earthquake with European implications is unfolding in Greece, as the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has filed criminal charges for serious felonies against 16 suspects arrested in connection with the OPEKEPE case in Crete.

The defendants are being brought before a European investigating judge, where they are expected to request a deadline to prepare their defense, given the complexity and gravity of the case.

Charges that carry heavy prison sentences

According to judicial sources, the prosecution includes multiple serious offenses, brought on a case-by-case basis, all of which may result in lengthy prison terms:

• Participation in a criminal organization
• Leadership of a criminal organization
• Criminal support of a criminal organization
• Fraud involving EU agricultural subsidies, committed jointly
• Direct complicity in fraud exceeding €120,000, committed repeatedly and in concert
• Fraud against the financial interests of the European Union and the Greek State
• Money laundering

The European Prosecutor describes a structured and coordinated scheme, allegedly designed to illegally obtain EU agricultural funds, causing significant financial damage to both European and national budgets.

Crete at the center – A case with European reach

The investigation concerns the Greek Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid (OPEKEPE) and has taken on a pan-European dimension, as it is being handled directly by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Legal observers stress that EPPO involvement signals exceptional seriousness, while sources indicate that the investigation may expand further if new evidence or additional suspects emerge.

What happens next

The coming days are expected to be decisive, as the investigating judge will rule on procedural deadlines, restrictive measures, or pretrial detention.

What is already clear is that the OPEKEPE affair is shaping up to be one of the most serious EU subsidy fraud cases in Greece in recent years, with rapid developments and potentially far-reaching consequences still ahead.

Source: pagenews.gr