The New Democracy government “failed” in its attempts to resolve the “financial scandal” at OPEKEPE, Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou has told the parliamentary inquiry committee investigating the farm subsidies agency.
“I believe that huge mistakes were made. We failed with regard to OPEKEPE. Since 2019, we made efforts to solve the complex problem of the agency, but as a result, I believe that the government failed,” Papastavrou told MPs, adding that this “does not absolve [the government] of its responsibilities.”
Testifying before the committee, Papastavrou said his involvement in the OPEKEPE affair was limited to participation in two meetings, on November 6 and December 28, 2023, at the Maximos Mansion with the then president of the agency, Evangelos Simandrakos.
He said the meetings focused exclusively on the serious breakdown in communication between Simandrakos and former rural development minister Lefteris Avgenakis, particularly over payments linked to 9,500 VAT numbers that did not meet eligibility criteria.
Papastavrou stressed that he had no authority over OPEKEPE operations and no involvement in payment decisions. He said Simandrakos himself had acknowledged that he resigned due to an inability to cooperate with Avgenakis.
Asked whether the case constitutes a scandal, Papastavrou described it as a “financial scandal,” saying that individuals had exploited long-standing institutional weaknesses to obtain subsidies illegally at the expense of genuine farmers. He argued that resolving the issue requires a holistic approach, including a transparent, simplified and fully digitalized system.