Arrests have been made, among other places, in the Athens area, Thessaloniki and on Crete. This after a raid against the government agency OPEKEPE.
An EU investigation suggests extensive abuse of the funds. Those who have illegally applied for money did so mainly by providing false information about agricultural land and livestock that they claimed to control.
According to the government, more than 3 billion euros have been paid out, over 30 million kronor, mainly in the form of subsidies to 680,000 farmers.
Among other things, a case is being investigated where grazing land has been declared as archaeological sites, olive trees on a military airbase and banana plantations on Mount Olympus.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has promised to imprison the responsible "thieves" and reclaim the money.
