ABTTF President: “The economic consequences of the OPEKEPE scandal will also become apparent in the near future. Our region, Western Thrace, is already in a difficult economic situation, being the most underdeveloped region of our country. With an economy based on agriculture, our region is likely to face even more difficult times following the fraud involving EU agricultural funds. We will all see together what else lies ahead for our region and our country’’.
A committee has been established in the Greek Parliament to investigate the corruption scandal that erupted in the Greek Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid (OPEKEPE) over the distribution of European Union (EU) agricultural funds.
The proposal to establish a committee to investigate OPEKEPE, which was established in 1998 and dissolved earlier this year, and its distribution practices was approved by a majority vote in the Greek Parliament on 28 July 2025.
The main opposition party PASOK-KINAL and other left-wing parties voted against the proposal, accusing the government of attempting to cover up its responsibility in the scandal.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has found evidence of corruption in the distribution of EU agricultural funds in Greece since at least 2019, involving state officials, and has opened an investigation into former Greek Ministers of Rural development and food Makis Voridis and Lefteris Avgenakis.
‘‘Our country Greece, has been going through a very turbulent period for some time now. First, there was the train accident in Tempi, and now the OPEKEPE scandal has further deepened the sense of distrust in the government among the general public. In the OPEKEPE scandal that erupted, we witnessed that agricultural funds transferred to our country under the EU Common Agricultural Policy were misused for years, and rocky areas and public lands unsuitable for agriculture were presented as arable farmland through fake lease contracts. When the scandal came to light, high-ranking officials, including ministers and deputy ministers, were forced to resign or were removed from their posts. As the EU Prosecutor’s Office intervened in the case, our country faced a series of penalties from the EU, and EU-funded projects were suspended. Naturally, the economic consequences of the OPEKEPE scandal will also become apparent in the near future. Our region, Western Thrace, is already in a difficult economic situation, being the most underdeveloped region of our country. With an economy based on agriculture, our region is likely to face even more difficult times following the fraud involving EU agricultural funds. We will all see together what else lies ahead for our region and our country’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
*Image: www.anadoluimages.com
