The Greek Prime Minister Kirkos Mitotkis was unusually unusually uncommonly contradictory in the weekend. “We failed,” he wrote on Facebook, promising to carry forward the fight against corruption – even with his party, New Democracy (ND).
Mitsotakis Greece was responding to the latest scam about the misuse of the European Union subsidy in Greece, currently investigated by the European Public Prosecutor Office (EPPO).
The scam revolves around several hundred million euros in agricultural subsidy, which was paid to the applicants by the Greek government agency OPKAP.
Examples included subsidies for the islands of Crete on Mount Olympus and pointed sheep and goats on banana gardens.
Ministers are reportedly involved
It has been reported that it happened in the government of Mitsotacis with two former Agriculture Minister’s knowledge: Mocis Voridis, who was in the office from 2021 to 2023, and his successor, Leaferis andgenciss, who held the post from 2024.
Voridis, who enjoys a good reputation as a legal expert, who created the Minister of Migration in this year’s March. He resigned on Friday, saying that he wanted to focus on “defending his innocence”.
Three other state ministers vested in the scam
Not a new scam
Reports related to Opekepe came out several months ago, and on 17 June, the European Commission fined Greece € 415 million ($ 486 million).
The EPPO filed an official complaint in May and accused the Greek officials of trying to obstruct the investigation.
But the government did not respond to the allegations and did not take any action till last week, when the EPPO sent information about the minister’s report in criminal activities to the Greek Parliament.
This is done because, according to the Greek law, only Parliament has the right to investigate the current or former members of the government.
A ‘Criminal Organization’
This, for the previous week, Greek MPs have enabled to study the 3.000-page file presented by the EPPO, however, may not be published.
It describes a “criminal organization” which includes OPKP officials, MPs and individuals who have illegally received the European Union money.
The file has 15 MPs – 13 from the ruling ND party and each of the opposition parties, along with Passoque and Siriza – as well as regional civil servants and make opkeepp officers.
So it explains how the organization worked – at the top of the cream.
Explosive conversation
Despite the ban on publication, the Greeks have been able to read in newspapers in recent times, which are some explosive conversations between the ruling party officials that were contained in this file.
Some tape mafia reads like a film script.
They include discussion among high ranked civil servants how they can keep members of EPPO Staff out of investigation with the help of the Minister of Justice.
The thesis cannot be proved to be authenticity of the thesis conversations until the publication ban is lifted. However, Mitsotakis does not see to question their authenticity.
He wrote in his Facebook post, “The dialogues that are open are causing resentment and anger,” he wrote in his Facebook post, stating that every person has received the European Union money, who is not entitled, it will be requested to pay back.
Hey announced that the opkepe would be abolished by the end of the year.
Mitsotakis under pressure
The Prime Minister is trying to portray him as a reformer and fighter in the fight against corruption and disability in the Greek political system. Whether the Greek public will buy it, remains as a sea.
His time in the office is seen by several scams, including the wiretap scam, a deadly refugee ship tragedy from the coast of Pilos and the top, Tempie railway disaster.
Every time, he has promised to get to the bottom of scams and will result in the people involved. None of this has happened.
This suggests that more than 70% of the reactions in each survey conducted since the beginning of the year accuse of a cover-up.
Furthermore, it is the European Union – as the European Parliament and the EPPO – not the Greek authorities, which is emphasizing for the wiretap scam, the tragedy of the train and now the resolution of the opekpe scandal.
Tough stance on migration too?
One thing is certain: Mitsotkis is still facing another crisis and trying to move it quickly, with other things with a political message, with conservative public and the right -wing wing of his party, which is not always happy with your policies.
Mitsotakis appointed Thanos Playvris Minister of Migration in the weekend.
Please, like Voridis, before that, extreme right -wing used to be a member of the popular orthodox rally (LAOS). He is the only member of the conservative ND party who advocates a tough stance on migration compared to the preceding.
Plevris has made a very clear idea since 2011 how to solve Greece’s migration problem, that is, the country looks like “hell” by strict monitoring of boundaries and preventive measures.
Speaking at a conference of extreme right -wing magazine Patia At that time, hey, there was no border security without the victims, saying “Border security needs death.”
And, for those who crossed it over the Greek border, they had another suggestion: they should not get any access to any social security, no food, no drink and health system. “They have to close their countries,” said, to appreciate the listeners.
It was about 15 years ago, but plevris never removed it from his zenophobic past.
This article was the original published in German.