Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis replaced several officials on Friday after multiple resignations linked to a widening farm payment scandal involving EU subsidies.
Investigators say lawmakers tried to channel European Union farm payments illegally to benefit their voter base.
Agriculture Minister Kostas Tsiaras, Civil Protection Minister Yiannis Kefalogiannis and Deputy Health Minister Dimitris Vartzopoulos all resigned. They denied any wrongdoing and said they stepped down to facilitate the investigation. Among the new appointees was Margaritis Schinas, a former European Commission vice president, named Greece’s agriculture minister.
Opposition parties rejected the reshuffle and renewed calls for early elections, warning the crisis could destabilize politics ahead of a scheduled vote next year. Mitsotakis, who says he was not in power when the fraud began, vowed to imprison those responsible and recover illicit funds.
Prosecuting ministers is complicated by Greece’s legal framework, which requires parliament to lift officials’ immunity — a process often blocked by governing majorities. This is the second wave of resignations tied to the scandal after five senior officials stepped down last year.
Investigators have cited alleged offenses including breach of trust, computer fraud and false declarations. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has expanded its probe to at least 20 members of the ruling New Democracy party, including current and former lawmakers. EPPO first released details of the case last May, accusing beneficiaries of claiming land they did not own and overstating livestock numbers.
Authorities estimate the scheme may have involved about €23 million in fraudulent payments since roughly 2018. Questionable claims included banana plantations on Mount Olympus, olive groves on a military airport and pastures on an archaeological site.
Much of the suspected fraud flowed to the island of Crete, where the Mitsotakis family has long held political influence. Official figures show roughly 80% of pasture subsidies awarded from 2017 to 2020 went to Crete. While the number of livestock farmers across Greece has fallen, Crete registered some 13,000 new farmers between 2019 and 2025 and reported a doubling of declared sheep and goats in the same period.
Previous investigations and police actions have already produced arrests and fines related to subsidy mismanagement.
Edited by: Sean Sinico