European Public Prosecutor's Office runs surprise inspection in Trikala over cattle subsidies

Surprise inspection in Trikala

Investigators from the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) carried out an unannounced inspection at the Trikala Veterinary Service in Greece on Thursday, 5 November. The team stayed in the office until late in the evening, gathering documents and data on how agricultural and livestock aid had been granted. The operation was carried out in strict secrecy, with inspectors asking for specific supporting papers and beneficiary files. One report describes the material as seized, while other reports speak of documents being gathered.

Link to OPEKEPE livestock aid

The probe is tied to farm payments linked to OPEKEPE, the body whose on-the-spot checks produced the evidence in an earlier 2023 case. Reports say the main focus of the inquiry lies on subsidies for livestock, particularly cattle. The core details agree across accounts: the date, the location, the focus on cattle subsidies and the 2020-2021 period. The inspection is described as part of a preliminary investigation, and no official findings have been published so far.

Three cases and the period under review

Chrysa Didi, deputy regional governor of Trikala, confirmed the inspection to Radio Zygos, a local radio station. She said the inquiry covers three separate cases involving more than one person. The reports do not name the individuals involved. Reports indicate the material mainly relates to aid for 2020 and 2021, while some references reach back to 2019.

An earlier case from 2023

Trikala has been the focus of farm-subsidy investigations before. In a 2023 announcement, the EPPO disclosed a case against nine cattle farmers in the area, who were accused of declaring more cattle than they owned, or animals they did not have, to obtain aid under the Common Agricultural Policy and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. The estimated damage in that case was 270,000 euros, and the evidence came from on-the-spot checks by OPEKEPE. According to the same announcement, one defendant was given a suspended prison sentence, seven people were acquitted after returning the sums they had wrongly received, and one more was found not guilty. Reports do not say whether the new inspection is connected to that case or is a separate investigation.

What remains unclear

No official findings have been released, and it is not yet known whether the material points to criminal offences. The reports describe the work as preliminary and say it does not prejudge any irregularities or the guilt of anyone involved. Sources do not say when any findings might be made public. For now, the established facts are the inspection itself, the focus on cattle subsidies and the three cases under review.