By Elena Galaris

For criminal organization and money laundering the accountant who is accused in the case of illegal subsidies of OPEKEPE is being prosecuted.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office upgraded the indictment against him, so during his apology next Monday he will be asked to give answers about what was found in his house, such as high-value branded watches, bags from well-known fashion houses, but also to justify how he acquired luxury items.

The change in the category for the 54-year-old came as products of well-known luxury goods houses, such as watches, bags, etc., were found in his house, findings which according to the prosecutors demonstrate his active and pivotal involvement accused in the operation of the organization.

Thus, when the accountant is in front of the Investigator, he will be asked to justify the way he acquired the particularly high-value items as well as the expensive trips he allegedly made abroad while providing services to the criminal group.

Today, twelve other defendants in the case are being arraigned, while the leading group, which is considered, according to the case file, is expected to be taken to the investigative office tomorrow, Sunday. He is a 38-year-old from Giannitsa, who is assigned the role of leader, his father and his wife, but also a 36-year-old employee at a Center for Receiving Declarations for subsidies, from Crete. The 38-year-old “leader”, according to the case file, had acquired specialized knowledge and experience in the process of submitting Unified Applications as a project manager in certified Declaration Reception Centers and thus could to detect and then exploit through the mechanism of the group he allegedly formed, eligible parcels of land and pasture in unclaimed areas of the territory.

On Friday, the apologetic process was completed with the decision of the Investigator and Prosecutor to release, with restrictive conditions, some of them, the first 11 accused found in the investigation office. These are persons who are attributed a smaller participation in the organization, who received subsidy amounts that do not exceed one thousand euros. The specific defendants appeared as owners or lessors of real estate in false declarations in the Single Aid Applications (A.A.E.).