A politically explosive two-day debate begins in Parliament over the OPEKEPE (Greek Payment Authority of EU Aid Schemes) scandal, centered on dubious “offshore” pastures and political players dubbed “blue” (New Democracy) and “green” (PASOK) frappe drinkers. Today’s session will address New Democracy’s proposal to launch a parliamentary inquiry dating back to 1998, aiming to document systemic errors and omissions in the distribution of EU agricultural subsidies.

On Wednesday, debate will shift to opposition proposals from PASOK and SYRIZA – New Left, seeking a criminal investigation into former ministers Makis Voridis and Lefteris Avgenakis based on a case file submitted by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).

Inquiry vs. Preliminary Investigation?

Today’s session begins at 9 a.m., with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expected to intervene, stressing that the government’s inquiry proposal is the most appropriate institutional response to uncover and resolve OPEKEPE’s deep-rooted problems. A central objective of New Democracy is to restructure the subsidy system and restore fairness in the agricultural sector, ensuring that funds go to the rightful beneficiaries.

Mitsotakis is set to reiterate that, based on the current evidence, there are no indications of criminal liability for the former ministers. He will call on PASOK and SYRIZA – New Left to withdraw their motions for a preliminary investigation and only reintroduce them after the inquiry has concluded—if new evidence of criminal conduct arises.

In a recent interview with SKAI, the Prime Minister stated:

“What would facilitate potential accountability is for the request for a preliminary investigation to be withdrawn for now. We see no indication of criminal liability. We urge parties to participate in the inquiry and keep open the possibility of future legal action.”

According to government officials, Mitsotakis’ position is backed by constitutional provisions that prevent the re-submission of a rejected prosecution request.

He further clarified:

“We won’t participate in a process of assigning blame via a preliminary investigation, because we do not see criminal culpability. The real question should be asked of the opposition parties.”

Many interpret this as a hint that New Democracy may abstain from the Wednesday vote on the opposition’s proposals.

Counteroffensive by New Democracy

New Democracy MPs are expected to argue that responsibility is cross-party and long-standing, citing recent revelations about PASOK officials in Crete allegedly receiving subsidies by declaring pastureland on mountaintops in central Greece. The governing party is poised to question whether members of PASOK’s alleged “criminal organization” include its own party figures. New Democracy will also expose contradictions within PASOK, such as how it defends the “technical solution”—the same method for allocating pastureland it now condemns when applied by Voridis. PASOK, for instance, has defended a local official from Rethymno who declared pastureland in Naousa and Agrafa, hundreds of kilometers from their actual operation. Yet PASOK’s motion seeks to prosecute Voridis for signing the exact same policy in 2019.

So: for PASOK, automatic pasture allocation is legal when it benefits its own, but illegal when applied more broadly.

What Will Voridis and Avgenakis Say?

Wednesday’s session promises high interest, as both former ministers will address the accusations.

• Makis Voridis is expected to defend his actions, stating he merely continued a policy from 2015 and did nothing wrong.
  He will argue he’s accused of moral instigation in crimes without a named perpetrator or detailed charges.
  Voridis reportedly possesses documents detailing his time at OPEKEPE and the true motives of those now portraying themselves as reformers.
  He may request a face-to-face hearing with Grigoris Varras, to clarify the reasons behind his dismissal and whether audits of suspicious taxpayer IDs happened before or after his removal was requested.
• Lefteris Avgenakis will likely follow a similar line, emphasizing that:
  • The case file contains no recorded conversations involving him
  • The removal of suspicious taxpayer IDs came only after official reviews
  • He requested the resignation of OPEKEPE’s former president E. Simandrakos on October 30, 2023, citing serious systemic failures in 2022–2023 payments, not the blocked IDs.

Avgenakis also claims to hold documents proving Simandrakos froze the taxpayer IDs after being asked to step down.

Final Votes and Likely Outcomes

According to party statements, this two-day showdown over OPEKEPE will likely end with the approval of a parliamentary inquiry and rejection of the opposition’s preliminary investigations.

Today’s vote on the inquiry will be recorded electronically by name, and requires only a simple majority of MPs present. Tomorrow, two secret ballot votes will be held—one for Voridis and one for Avgenakis. Conviction requires at least 151 “yes” votes.

Since the opposition holds only 142 seats, and independents D. Kyriazidis and Ch. Katsivardas are expected to back the government, at least 11 defections from New Democracy would be needed for the proposals to pass—an unlikely scenario.

If New Democracy abstains, the opposition’s motions become effectively impossible to pass.