EU prosecutors indict four acting lawmakers over farm aid fraud

ATHENS, July 16 - Four acting members of Greece's parliament were among 22 people indicted on Thursday by the European Public Prosecutor's Office over an investigation into alleged farm fraud that has rocked the Greek government.

Last year, European prosecutors charged dozens of Greek stockbreeders with faking ownership of grazing land to claim millions of euros in EU subsidies with the alleged help of state employees and conservative politicians.

The scandal has prompted ministers' resignations and inconclusive parliamentary probes.

The EU has also fined Greece over the misuse of the funds between 2016 and 2023 by government agency OPEKEPE, which handles the subsidies and payments.

EPPO said in a statement it was indicting four acting members of parliament over acts allegedly committed in 2021. They include abuse of trust, unlawful management of EU funds, false attestation, and attempted computer fraud.

It dismissed allegations against seven other deputies due to lack of evidence, it said.

At the request of the European chief prosecutor, parliament voted in April to lift the parliamentary immunity of 13 lawmakers from the ruling New Democracy party, so they could be investigated.

Following EPPO's statement on Thursday, Greek government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said the four deputies indicted over misdemeanors are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The former president of OPEKEPE has also been charged on five counts of abuse of trust, while other political staff have been accused of misdemeanors, EPPO said. It added that other investigations into alleged acts committed at different time periods were ongoing.

The EPPO, which began operations in 2021, is the EU's independent public prosecution office tasked with investigating and bringing to judgment crimes against the bloc's financial interests.

The charges come weeks after Greek police arrested 20 people on the island of Crete after dismantling a criminal gang suspected of assisting farmers with submitting applications to receive EU farm funds based on false declarations of farm land. REUTERS