Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday accused opposition parties of exploiting the OPEKEPE farm subsidy investigation for political gain, while suggesting the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) had allowed itself to become involved in domestic political disputes.
Speaking at a meeting of his government’s economic policy council, Mitsotakis was reacting after the EPPO dropped cases against seven of the 11 governing New Democracy lawmakers originally investigated in the case, while filing misdemeanor charges against four others.
“With the announcement by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the true dimensions and the full truth about OPEKEPE have emerged,” Mitsotakis said.
“Nine have been proven completely innocent, and four more of our members will face further examination over minor offenses,” he said, referring to the 13 New Democracy MPs who were initially up for investigation.
Earlier Thursday, the EPPO announced criminal proceedings against 22 people, including four serving New Democracy lawmakers, over alleged irregularities involving European Union agricultural subsidies administered through Greece’s OPEKEPE payments agency, while dismissing allegations against seven other conservative lawmakers for lack of sufficient evidence.
