Central European governments have been systematically abusing the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy to enrich family members and political allies, an investigation claims.

The New York Times survey of subsidies in nine European countries found that millions of euros in agricultural subsidies had been directed to a handful of companies, often linked to national leaders.

It alleged that the CAP had even underwritten “mafia-style land grabs” in Slovakia and Bulgaria.

Prominent beneficiaries reportedly include Andrej Babis, the billionaire prime minister of the Czech republic, who the paper says is linked to a company that received at least $42 million (£32 million) in subsidies last year.

Lukáš Wagenknecht, a senator from the opposition Pirate Party, last week filed a complaint against the European Council saying it should not allow Mr Babis to take part in the bloc’s budget discussions because his Agrofert conglomerate receives tens of millions of Euros in subsidies annually.

Mr Babis no longer owns the company and has denied a conflict of interests, but organisations including Transparency International claim that he remains its end beneficiary.