Former president of Greece’s OPEKEPE, the national agricultural payments agency, Grigoris Varras, gave lengthy testimony before the parliamentary inquiry investigating the agency’s recent farming scandal. During his statement, he pointed to former minister Makis Voridis and the management company Neuropublic as responsible for his removal from office.
The hearing began with tension, as Varras initially refused to testify, seeking instead to submit a 1,500-page written memo. After pressure from committee members, he agreed to respond to questions — at times offering contradictory statements.
Although he described his professional relationship with Voridis as “amicable,” Varras ultimately attributed his dismissal to the minister, claiming it followed his efforts to reform the agency’s payment procedures.
‘They Wanted Me to Make a Wrong Payment’
According to Varras, after uncovering irregularities in the national reserve fund, he initiated audits of 4,800 taxpayer files (AFMs). The day before a scheduled board meeting on 11 November 2020, he received notice of his dismissal.
Varras alleged that Neuropublic, the company managing farmers’ subsidy applications, pressured the ministry to remove him.
“They wanted me to make an erroneous payment so that Minister Voridis could tell the Prime Minister I had mishandled the process. The company wanted to keep its technical advisor inside the organization. My removal was demanded by Neuropublic and carried out by the Minister,” Varras stated.
Political Fallout
Opposition parties quickly seized on the testimony. PASOK sources accused the government of shielding the former minister, saying:
“The government that protected its former minister and blocked the formation of a parliamentary investigation is deeply exposed.”
Members of the ruling New Democracy party countered that Varras’ testimony validated previous statements made in Parliament regarding his communications with senior officials. According to party sources, his account confirmed that government adviser Giorgos Mylonakis had legitimately requested internal information in mid-2025 regarding EU-related fines and the payment system.
Questions Over Political Pressure
When questioned by New Democracy MPs, Varras denied that Voridis personally asked him to intervene in any specific case. However, he claimed he had received pressure from a ministry general secretary to favor a relative of “the well-known Frappe case.”
He also clarified that he never informed the Prime Minister’s office directly about the internal disputes or the audits he initiated, noting that he was neither summoned nor consulted by the government’s top staff.
A Scandal Still Unfolding
Varras’ testimony adds a new chapter to the OPEKEPE investigation, which has drawn attention for alleged irregularities in agricultural subsidies and management oversight. The claims of ministerial interference and corporate influence have intensified scrutiny over the relationship between the public sector and private contractors handling EU-related funds.
