A two-day debate in the Hellenic Parliament has brought the spotlight onto the growing farming subsidy scandal, with lawmakers deeply divided over how the issue should be investigated. At the heart of the dispute is whether the alleged mismanagement at OPEKEPE, Greece’s agricultural payments agency, warrants a wide-reaching parliamentary inquiry or a targeted criminal probe.

The governing New Democracy party has proposed the formation of a parliamentary investigative committee to examine systemic failures at OPEKEPE, some of which date back decades. In his speech before the plenary, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis argued that the scandal reflects long-standing, cross-party dysfunction in the distribution of agricultural aid and called for “serious, institutional solutions” to prevent future abuse.

According to Mitsotakis, the government’s proposal for an investigative committee is the most appropriate step because it allows for a comprehensive review of historical mismanagement, rather than a narrow focus on recent events. He urged opposition parties to back the motion, positioning it as a good-faith effort to uncover structural problems rather than politicize the issue.

However, the opposition is pushing back. SYRIZA – New Left, PASOK, and other parties have called for the creation of a preliminary criminal inquiry targeting two former ministers, Makis Voridis and Lefteris Avgenakis. They allege that the ministers’ decisions may have contributed directly to irregularities at OPEKEPE.

Voridis has denied any wrongdoing, stating publicly that the administrative action in question was based on legal provisions in place since 2015.

New Democracy is expected to vote against the opposition’s proposals and may even walk out of the session dedicated to the pre-investigative committee debate. Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis criticized the opposition’s approach, arguing that the investigative committee covers all relevant time periods and offers a more constructive path forward.

Marinakis dismissed the opposition’s claims, saying, “There is no credible evidence to support criminal proceedings. No opposition party has managed to prove otherwise.”

He also criticized what he called the “hypocrisy” of opposition MPs, who, in previous cases, abandoned similar inquiries they had initiated. “They point fingers before we’ve even announced our position. That’s both hypocritical and premature,” he added.