Greece, subsidy scandal "shocks" the government - Several ministers resign after accusations of embezzlement of EU funds
A scandal involving agricultural subsidies received from the European Union has rocked the Greek government. International investigations have uncovered misuse of funds, leading to the resignation of several cabinet ministers.
For more than a week, Greek public opinion has been shaken by a scandal involving agricultural subsidies illegally obtained from the European Union. The accusations from Brussels have led to the first resignations. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis admitted defeat, promising to fight corruption even harder, even against officials from his New Democracy (ND) party.
Mitsotakis was referring to the recent scandal of misuse of EU funds in Greece, which is currently being investigated by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). It concerns agricultural subsidies worth hundreds of millions of euros. They were paid by the relevant Greek agency, Opekepe, for sheep and goats that do not exist in Crete or for banana plantations on Mount Olympus.
This is suspected to have happened with the knowledge of two former agriculture ministers in the Mitsotakis government: Makis Voridis, responsible for agriculture from 2021 to 2023, and his successor Lefteris Avgenakis, who served until 2024. Voridis had just been appointed immigration minister in March of this year. Last Friday, he resigned. Three state ministers involved in the affair also resigned from their posts.
In fact, the scandal had been known for several months. But the Greek government did not react to the accusations and took no action until last week, when the European Public Prosecutor's Office transmitted information to the Greek parliament regarding the ministers' alleged involvement in criminal activities.
The 3,000-page dossier describes a "criminal organisation", made up of OPEC officials as well as MPs and individuals, who illegally received EU funds. The dossier also describes how the organisation operated mainly in Crete. Many scandals have raised doubts about Mitsotakis' mandate, such as the wiretapping affair, the fatal shipwreck near Pylos and above all the railway accident near Tempi.
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