Several current members of the national parliament of Greece were allegedly involved in a scheme to defraud EU agricultural funds.

The European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) has requested that the country's parliament lift immunity of 11 active members as part of an investigation into an alleged organised fraud scheme involving farm money.

As well as that, a former minister and deputy minister for rural development and food were also allegedly involved in the fraud.

The EPPO has referred information on these former ministers' alleged involvement to the Greek parliament.

Apart from those former ministers, five other former members of the parliament are currently under investigation in the same case.

The EPPO has several ongoing investigations into an alleged organised fraud scheme involving public officials in the national authority in Greece responsible for delivering farm payments.

EPPO's move to request the removal of immunity for 11 current members of parliament concerns actions allegedly committed in 2021.

The EU prosecutor's office said that, in order to be able to continue with the investigation and to establish the facts, immunity for the 11 persons concerned has to be lifted.

According to the EPPO, the investigation concerns alleged felonies and misdemeanours "against the financial interests of the EU", namely instigation of breach of trust; computer fraud; and false attestation with the intent to obtain for another an unlawful benefit.

During the ongoing investigation, information was uncovered regarding the possible involvement in the fraud scheme of a former minister of rural development and food, and his deputy, during the exercise of their functions.

Under the Greek constitution, evidence related to possible offences committed by a former minister must first be submitted to the parliament.

The EPPO said this makes in impossible for it to fully carry out its tasks, and forces it to "split" the investigation.

The public prosecutor said that no further details will be made public on the case for the time being in order to not to "endanger the outcome of the ongoing proceedings".

The EPPO stressed that all persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.