New names of MPs from the ruling party in Greece are continuously coming to light for their alleged involvement in the major scandal concerning the misappropriation of €1 billion in European agricultural subsidies, which shook Greece before the summer and acted as the trigger for large-scale farmers' protests (OPEKEPE scandal). The developments are accompanied by new farmers' protests, as well as prosecutions against farmers for these demonstrations.
Less than a month ago, the ruling party MPs approved, in a vote in the Greek Parliament, the finding of a parliamentary investigation commission that the two former Agriculture Ministers of their party, Mr. Makis Voridis and Mr. Lefteris Avgenakis, are not involved in the scandal. However, two new case files from the European Prosecutor, as well as one case file from the Greek judicial authorities, have put under investigation another 13 MPs, as well as two former Deputy Ministers of Agriculture.
Notably, among these 13 MPs is Mr. Kostas Tsiaras, who, as Agriculture Minister when the scandal first broke out, had undertaken to ensure the clean-up of the agricultural subsidies organization (OPEKEPE). The new developments led to his resignation and a mini-reform of the Greek government.
© Sotiris Dimitropoulos
The plenary hall of the Greek Parliament. (Photo credits: Sotiris Dimitropoulos)
However, a new outbreak of farmer anger was not avoided. Farmers in the country's major agricultural region, Thessaly, have already proceeded to mobilizations with temporary roadblocks. Greek farmers accuse the EU as a whole of the scandal. In an article he wrote in a Greek newspaper, Mr. Yannis Tsioutras, who was among the leading figures of the two-month-long farmer protests in winter, states: "Each fraud, from Qatargate to the looting of funds, derives from the character of the EU as a coalition of monopolies. The greatest scandal remains the subsidies policy itself, which secures extravagant profits for merchants and industrialists while keeping farmers in constant thraldom."
With the slogan "We will not pay the bill for their wars and scandals", Greek farmers demand immediate measures against the skyrocketing costs of production, for the protection of their income, the punishment of all those found guilty, and the return of the misappropriated subsidies. However, at the same time, many farmers across the country are being called by prosecutors to testify for their participation in such protests. As Mr. Tsioutras denounces: "While the scandal's protagonists remain untouched, covered under government immunity, the state turns its most autocratic face against the daily-striving farmers."
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Snapshot from the recent farmers' protests in Karditsa, Thessaly. (Photo credits: 902.gr)
Finally, according to Greek press reports, the European Prosecutor is preparing another case file, with names from the ruling party, but also from the opposition. Of the already probed MPs from the ruling party, Mr. Kostas A. Karamanlis, former Minister of Transportation, has also been accused in the recent past for his responsibility over the poor safety conditions on Greek railways, which led to a tragic incident that killed 57 people in 2023. It is also worth noting that, with the next general elections maybe less than 12 months away, most of the probed ruling party MPs come from agricultural areas where the party has traditionally enjoyed strong support.
