A political storm has erupted following parapolitika.gr’s revelation about Nikos Bounakis, who serves as deputy secretary in PASOK’s Agricultural Development and Food Sector, and his connection to the OPEKEPE case involving declarations of public land at Lake Karla.
As Bounakis confirmed in his letter to parapolitika.gr, “his company’s Reception Center for Declarations (KYD) has received and registered in the Integrated Management and Control System (OSDE) an application from one (1) producer for the years 2022-2023. For the application to be accepted in OSDE, the producer submitted to KYD a real estate lease from the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) which includes the name and tax number of lessee and lessor, Property Identity Number (ATAK), meaning it was declared with all necessary elements, which OPEKEPE accepted and paid the producer normally”.
He denies any involvement in irregular subsidies: “KYDs have neither the authority nor the ability to check leases or other documents submitted by producers which are accepted by OSDE, issued by AADE and controlled and paid by OPEKEPE”.
New Democracy also issued a statement about Nikos Bounakis. According to ND, Bounakis owes explanations for his admission regarding public lands at Lake Karla in the OPEKEPE scandal.
New Democracy press office statement on Nikos Bounakis
Shocking is the public admission by Nikos Bounakis, former parliamentary candidate for Heraklion of PASOK-KINAL and currently deputy secretary of the Agricultural Development & Food Sector, close friend and collaborator of Nikos Androulakis, in ANTENNA’s main news bulletin following parapolitika.gr’s report, that his own KYD is the one declaring public lands at Lake Karla!
At the moment when PASOK and other opposition parties accuse the Government of the alleged OPEKEPE “scandal”, a significant PASOK official in Crete is involved to the absolute degree as KYD owner, declaring public lands at Lake Karla in Thessaly in the name of beneficiaries who have no connection to this specific place, seeking to obtain illegal subsidies.
The PASOK official involved in this case must provide explanations for a series of issues:
How many years have the hectares of land in Thessaly been declared by KYD on behalf of farmers who had no connection to this specific area?
How much money have they received in total?
Why didn’t he, as he should have, act to prevent the illegality?
Does PASOK agree with the actions of its deputy secretary in the Agricultural Policy Sector?
We await the apology from the official opposition and personally from the President of PASOK-KINAL, Nikos Androulakis.
The rest at the Parliamentary Investigation Committee from next Tuesday.
The truth must shine, however harsh it may sometimes be.
Bounakis’ response to parapolitika.gr’s OPEKEPE report: One application made with all necessary elements
Nikos Bounakis gave his response to parapolitika.gr’s report regarding possible involvement in the OPEKEPE case. PASOK’s deputy secretary of the Agricultural Policy Sector states he has no involvement in irregular subsidies, while mentioning one application submitted by his company’s Reception Center for Declarations to OPEKEPE in 2022, which was made “with all necessary elements, with the Organization paying the producer normally”. “KYDs have neither the authority nor the ability to check leases or other documents submitted by producers which are accepted by OSDE (Integrated Management and Control System), issued by AADE and controlled and paid by OPEKEPE,” he also stated.
Nikos Bounakis’ statement
Dear Parapolitika, in today’s (yesterday’s) publication,
Among other things it states that:
“According to exclusive information from parapolitika.gr, the KYD included in MP Christos Boukoros’ complaint, which submitted declarations for these specific subsidies, is consulting company Proactive S.A., providing consulting services and studies based in Crete. According to the same information, president and managing director of Proactive S.A. – Business Consultants is Cretan agronomist Nikos Bounakis.”
Your report presents our company’s Reception Center for Declarations (KYD) as having made applications and declaring Lake Karla areas.
But reality is completely different, our company’s KYD has received and registered in the Integrated Management and Control System (OSDE) an application from one (1) producer for years 2022-2023.
For the application to be accepted in OSDE, the producer submitted to KYD a real estate lease from the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) which includes lessee and lessor name and tax number, Property Identity Number (ATAK), meaning declared with all necessary elements, which OPEKEPE accepted and paid the producer normally.
How does it appear that our company has involvement in irregular subsidies? KYDs have neither authority nor ability to check leases or other documents submitted by producers which are accepted by OSDE, issued by AADE and controlled and paid by OPEKEPE.
If the article’s author, as I think journalistic ethics requires, had taken the trouble to contact us, your credible website would not have proceeded with such a defamatory and unfair publication for our company.
P.S. I would like to thank you for the honor of considering me a “PASOK major official”, I am a simple member, in the past I have served as Secretary of the Agricultural Policy Sector, member of KPE and parliamentary candidate in the difficult 2015 for our faction.
I am not a professional politician, I participate in the Agricultural Policy Sector to help shape with other comrades PASOK’s program for our Agricultural Economy reconstruction.
Parapolitika.gr’s revelation about Bounakis and OPEKEPE
As parapolitika.gr’s report stated, accusations by former deputy minister and New Democracy MP for Magnesia Christos Boukoros caused an “earthquake” that despite the dimensions the OPEKEPE case has taken, opportunists continue declaring public lands at Lake Karla in Magnesia Prefecture, which have not been granted by any authority, requesting subsidies for crops, with his accusations showing the problematic situation with irregular subsidies continues.
Speaking on OPEN, Boukoros revealed that public lands at Lake Karla are being declared by KYDs in Crete. “I conducted research and found that during years 2022-2025, a KYD in Crete declares hundreds of acres of public land at Lake Karla for beneficiaries who have no connection to our place and with these declarations seek to obtain subsidies,” the MP emphasized.
According to exclusive parapolitika.gr information, the KYD included in MP Christos Boukoros’ complaint, which submitted declarations for these specific subsidies, is consulting company Proactive S.A., providing consulting services and studies based in Crete. According to the same information, president and managing director of Proactive S.A. – Business Consultants is Cretan agronomist Nikos Bounakis.
Note that Boukoros sent the serious complaint last week to Agricultural Development and Food Minister Kostas Tsiaras, listing farmers’ name initials and Reception Centers for Declarations that submitted them, plus attached evidence for investigation, including screenshots with agricultural plot depictions showing area polygons, protocol numbers and IDs. According to Boukoros, Agricultural Development Minister Kostas Tsiaras was sensitized and sent the complaints to competent Authorities.
