EL 
EN 
Following a complaint, National Transparency Authority (NTA) conducted an audit of the Organization for Welfare Benefits & Social Solidarity (OPEKA) regarding the unlawful granting of a pension for uninsured elderly persons to a beneficiary, who was allegedly receiving a foreign pension for many years.
Audit findings:
The beneficiary had been receiving a pension for uninsured elderly persons since 1st June 2007, as per a 2006 decision by the Agricultural Insurance Organization (OGA). This decision was made following an application to the Organization’s Administration in which the beneficiary stated that a) he had always resided in Greece, b) he had not been insured in the past by any primary or supplementary insurance fund or by a foreign institution, and c) he had no income from any source (employment, pension, rent, dividends, interest).
During the audit, the beneficiary submitted, in January 2026, a sworn statement to Organization for Welfare Benefits and Social Solidarity, repeating that he had never been insured by any other social security institution and had never traveled abroad.It should be noted that a necessary condition for the granting of this pension, in accordance with the provisions of Law 1296/1982, as amended by subparagraph IA.6, paragraph 5, of the first article of Law 4093/2012, is, among other things, that applicants must not be receiving or be entitled to a pension from any social security institution or the State in Greece or abroad, regardless of the amount.
However, as indicated in a relevant document from the U.S. Embassy in Greece, the beneficiary had been receiving a U.S. old-age pension since February 2002, amounting to approximately USD 1,900 per month, accompanied by a copy of his social security and employment history.
Consequently, during the NTA audit, the Organization revoked the pension with retroactive effect from 1st June 2007 and subsequently sought recovery of approximately € 80,000 in unduly paid benefits covering the period from 1st June 2007 to 31st January 2026.
NTA’ s Recommendations:
It was recommended that the Directorate of Social Solidarity Benefits take the actions within its jurisdiction, in accordance with the provisions of Article 38 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Law 4620/2019), considering the Report’s findings, as well as the provisions of paragraph 6 of Article 22 of Law 1599/1986.
The Audit Report was forwarded:
- to the Athens Court of Appeals Prosecutor’s Office for a criminal investigation into the matters contained therein, in accordance with the provisions of Article 97, paragraph 2, of Law 4622/2019
- to the 2nd Audit Center of Attica of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue for further examination, within its jurisdiction.