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Scrambling to contain the political fallout from a sprawling agricultural fraud investigation, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reshuffled his government and urged European Union prosecutors to name lawmakers who are facing charges over allegations that his country has siphoned millions in EU subsidies for phantom livestock and ineligible farmland.
The reshuffle is the latest development in a scandal centering on the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) allegations that Greek stockbreeders have, since at least 2018, defrauded at at least 23 million euros ($27 million) by exploiting loopholes in the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy to claim subsidies for non-existent livestock or land that failed to meet eligibility requirements.
The inquiry escalated in October 2025 following the detention of 37 members of an organized criminal group accused of defrauding the EU’s agricultural subsidy system of more than 19.6 million euros ($22.6 million).
EU prosecutors then announced last week that they are investigating current and former MPs over their alleged involvement in the scheme, according to a statement by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). The EPPO said it has referred information to the Hellenic Parliament regarding the potential involvement of also a former minister and a former deputy minister in the fraud scheme.
A number of ministers resigned on Friday and new ministers were sworn in over the weekend. Margaritis Schinas, a former European Commission vice president, has been appointed as the new agriculture minister, said government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, in a televised statement.
The EPPO also requested that the Hellenic Parliament lift the parliamentary immunity of 11 members, adding that it is already investigating five former MPs.
Mitsotakis urged on Monday the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to “quickly” decide which of the accused Greek lawmakers will face prosecution.
