OPEKEPE: Six defendants remanded in custody so far

Two more defendants in the case of a criminal organisation targeting illegal OPEKEPE subsidies are being sent to prison following their hearings. The two new defendants, who were ordered into pretrial detention, are brothers. With these recent detentions, the total number of defendants held in custody in the case rises to six.

A European Investigating Judge and the European Prosecutor decided on the temporary detention of the two brothers, who, according to the charges, appear to have been key members of the criminal group that fraudulently received agricultural subsidies over several years. A third group of defendants is currently at the courts for their hearings. Besides the two already detained, six more defendants—including members of what the indictment identifies as the leadership of the criminal organization—are scheduled to be heard on Sunday.

Another four of the twelve defendants who appeared before the court on Saturday for the criminal organization case targeting OPEKEPE subsidies were remanded in custody.