The three-member Athens Court of Justice has decided that 57 farmers should be guilty of Crete which according to the indictment illegally received European subsidies through OPEKEPE.
On the other hand, the court found, by majority, an innocent producer accepting its self-sufficient claim to eliminate the claim that it was guilty of returning the sums collected and calculated around EUR 30 000.
In fact, for some of the convicted the court converted the charges and corrected the amounts of subsidies entered in the original indictment downwards.
In particular, according to the European Public Prosecutor's Office's indictment, 57 persons are alleged to have received illegal subsidies of thousands of euros from OPEKEPE, for land declared in Kastoria other as pastures and others for olive and almond cultivation.
The convicts did not attend the court and were represented by their advocates, who asked to be acquitted.
The Athens Court of Appeal adjourned for Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in order to rule on the extensifications and penalties it will impose.
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