Greece’s Farm Scandal Leads to High-profile Resignations, Political Ruin
The resignations of senior Greek government officials in a massive corruption scandal involving the use of European Union funds have shocked the country and cast doubt on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ reputation. A number of key officials demanded their resignations on Friday after their names were included in a dossier by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office investigating widespread abuses in the distribution of agricultural subsidies. Those who left their posts included Migration Minister Makis Voridis, his deputies Tassos Hadzivasiliou, Dionysis Stamenitis and Christos Boukouros, as well as Secretary-General for Agriculture and Food George Stratakos. It is important for citizens to understand that this case has serious political and legal repercussions not only in Greece, but also at the EU level. The investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has touched on dozens of cases of embezzlement of agricultural funds. According to the investigation, Greek citizens received financial support in the form of subsidies for pastures that did not exist or were not rented, or for work that was not carried out at all. It was also established that individual farmers received generous payments without having any right to them. This, in turn, deprived the real, legal owners of the land of legitimate financial support. Thus, according to sources in the field investigation, millions of euros from the agricultural budget were embezzled through large-scale schemes developed by criminal groups operating under the cover of public services and political officials. Last week, the prosecutor’s office handed over to the Greek parliament files containing more than 3,000 pages of criminal records, including references to former ministers responsible for agriculture and food policy. These include Makis Voridis, who served as agriculture minister from 2021 to 2023 and is currently head of the migration department, and Lefteris Avgenakis, a former agricultural minister who served in parliament from 2023 to 2024. Under Greek law, investigations and prosecutions were the sole responsibility of parliamentary bodies. This meant that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which has broad powers within the EU, did not have the legal authority to directly investigate on Greek territory, which has angered European lawyers and human rights groups. So, late last week, a dossier detailing the circumstances was submitted to the Greek parliament for review — although officially this information is kept secret from the public. According to inside sources, the document, which runs over three thousand pages, describes the activities of a criminal group that included officials from the National Agency for the Supervision and Control of EU Financial Payments (OPEKEPE), as well as deputies and private individuals who illegally received and distributed subsidies. Particular attention is paid to the region of Crete, where, according to the investigation, the most abuses were committed. It includes not only politicians, but also civil servants who systematically obstructed audits and attempts to uncover corruption. According to sources, authentic conversations between officials indicate systematic planning and open collusion to avoid responsibility. Accusations of embezzlement have been brought against former Agriculture Minister Makis Voridis and former Agrarian Policy Minister Lefteris Avgenakis. Both have denied the charges, but the investigation documents provide compelling evidence of their involvement, including telephone conversations that indicate direct pressure on law enforcement officers and employees who exposed the abuse. The dossier also includes testimony from two former OPEC presidents, Grigoris Varras and Evangelos Simandrakos, who were dismissed by Avgenakis and Voridis’ deputies after they tried to stop the illegal payments. The documents state that current ministers pressured senior officials to submit false documents and authorize payments without proper verification. The operational activities of criminal groups were allegedly hampered by demands and interference at the highest level, which significantly complicated the detection and termination of criminal schemes. As the investigation deepens, the European Commission has already imposed a fine of about 400 million euros on Greece for inadequate control over the use of EU funds in the agricultural sector. Now the government has announced the liquidation of OPECEP by next year, and the functions of distributing agricultural subsidies will be transferred to a new independent structure - the Revenue Agency. Overall, this scandal has become the largest crisis in the distribution of European funds in the Greek agricultural sector. It has called into question not only the honesty of officials, but also the effectiveness of the system of control over EU trust funds. There has been a heated discussion in society and political circles about possible changes in legislation and increased responsibility for abuse. At the same time, the political crisis is still ongoing, as many deputies from the ruling New Democracy party have found themselves in the circle of persecution, which raises questions about the future course of the government and its ability to maintain public trust in difficult times.