The Greek Parliament is set to debate today, Tuesday, the findings of a parliamentary inquiry into the OPEKEPE farm subsidy scandal, following months of testimony and sharply conflicting conclusions among political parties.
During the plenary session, party leaders are expected to take the floor, including the heads of PASOK, SYRIZA and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). The final report submitted to Parliament contains the conclusions of the ruling majority as well as separate opinions from opposition parties.
The investigation, which examined the management of agricultural subsidies through the state payment agency OPEKEPE, lasted five and a half months and included roughly 350 hours of testimony. The proceedings also generated approximately 19,000 pages of official transcripts, reflecting the scale of the inquiry. While all parties reviewed the same evidence, they reached fundamentally different conclusions on who ultimately bears responsibility for the far-reaching scandal and whether further legal action should follow.
New Democracy: No Criminal Responsibility for Voridis and Avgenakis
The ruling New Democracy party concluded that there is no evidence of criminal responsibility for former ministers Makis Voridis and Lefteris Avgenakis.
According to the majority report, Parliament was correct to launch a parliamentary inquiry rather than establish a special preliminary investigative committee into possible ministerial liability. The report argues that the problems uncovered in the OPEKEPE system are longstanding and predate the tenure of the ministers under scrutiny.
Opposition parties, however, accuse the government of attempting to disperse responsibility and conceal potential wrongdoing.
PASOK: “Whitewash” and Call for Criminal Probe
PASOK, in its separate report, described the inquiry as a “whitewash” and accused the ruling party of using the process to shield political figures from scrutiny.
The party argues that evidence presented to the committee — including witness testimony and recorded conversations — justifies further investigation into the possible criminal responsibility of Voridis and Avgenakis. PASOK says there are indications that Voridis may have facilitated acts of breach of trust within OPEKEPE, while Avgenakis may have shown possible complicity or moral instigation in actions that require examination through a preliminary criminal probe.
SYRIZA and New Left: “Constitutional Necessity”
SYRIZA and the New Left issued a joint report calling the establishment of a preliminary investigative committee a “constitutional necessity.”
Their findings argue that the political responsibility of the two former ministers is “clear.” The parties claim Voridis failed to ensure effective oversight and allowed a system to operate that allegedly created artificial conditions for the distribution of European Union agricultural subsidies. They also allege that Avgenakis did not address structural problems after taking office and instead maintained administrative opacity while payments continued despite pending audits.
The joint report also extends political responsibility to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, arguing that Greece’s highly centralized governing system places significant oversight authority in the prime minister’s office.
KKE: Inquiry Ended Prematurely
The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) did not submit a formal report but criticized the handling of the investigation.
KKE accused the parliamentary majority of ending the inquiry prematurely, arguing that key witnesses were not called and that conflicting testimonies were not examined through direct confrontations. The party said these omissions prevented a full clarification of the case.
As Parliament debates the findings Tuesday, the sharply different conclusions highlight deep political divisions over accountability and oversight in one of Greece’s most contentious subsidy cases.
