New Democracy MP for Heraklion, Maximos Senetakis, spoke on Parapolitika 90.1 radio show “On Air” with Niki Lyberaki, regarding the criminal case concerning OPEKEPE (Greek Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid).
The disputed issue is that he called Melas requesting a “fictitious” reduction of livestock capital, with Mr. Senetakis denying any “fictitious” reduction. “The person wanted to make an amended declaration to report his actual production, which was reduced, since he produced 2.5 tons of milk compared to 3.5 tons the previous year. He had the invoices and for some reason couldn’t declare the reduced production in 2021. I’m accused of an administrative procedure at OPEKEPE, which was modified. There were several producers, one came to me and the modification concerned the procedure,” said Mr. Senetakis, adding about the case:
“He is a livestock farmer. I met him the day before at the sheep shearing, where he pointed out his problem to me,” he said, humorously noting that “we went for wool and came back shorn.” There’s no issue of false declaration, but an administrative procedure that was happening all year, based on estimated production versus final production.”
From the dialogue it appears that Mr. Melas mentions the procedure is European and the MP requests it be done by exception, it was pointed out to the MP, with Mr. Senetakis denying this. “I don’t know the amounts, I ask to learn about the procedure. I went crazy when I learned that the producer couldn’t declare reduced production. We’re talking about administrative procedures,” he said.
Asked if there was any movement through his office, he said no: “I acted through the phone call, it’s a lesson for us to move more institutionally.”
Asked if he has requested similar changes or modifications in the years following 2021, he said “I haven’t dealt extensively with another case to demand a procedural change. I don’t have anything I remember at this moment,” he said.
Asked when favoritism becomes criminally insignificant, Mr. Senetakis said “what we were pursuing was better state procedure functionality. I asked for the system to become more logical. Such acts are easily misunderstood and that’s why we want to go to court.” He noted there are infinite cases and the need for intermediation should disappear. “I wasn’t elected MP to become a middleman,” he noted, stating that he cannot determine the limit of when favoritism becomes criminally insignificant, as everyone has their own approach to this issue. “As long as the law doesn’t change to address something illogical, I am illegal.” “I will go to Justice to argue that I’m not irregular. According to some, I was irregular, but that’s subjective,” he noted.
Asked if this OPEKEPE case is a “blue” (conservative party) scandal, he said there was an Organization operating with incorrect procedures, without necessarily adopting the term “scandal.” “There are scandal cases and cases of poor functioning. Each case is separate and there was a field that would create many OPEKEPE scandals, not just one,” he said.
Asked if he was requested to resign his seat, he stated nothing like that happened, nor did he consider resigning for integrity reasons. He said this dialogue had emerged 6 months ago when there was the ministers’ case and came as a supplementary file that hadn’t produced any criminal offense. “I feel relief that it has now come to Parliament, so I can argue everything I want in Justice. Immunity becomes a constraint. I could have gone to court as an ordinary citizen without my name being dragged through the mud,” said Mr. Senetakis.
The prosecution states the producer undeservedly received 2,500 euros, it was pointed out to the Heraklion MP, with him responding: “Finally, according to the Prosecution, because there was a large deviation, there would be a fine from which he wouldn’t receive the money,” however the producer received the subsidy, to the “surprise” of Mr. Senetakis himself.
“I will answer the phone again, because there are very serious issues in the labyrinthine system” that haven’t been resolved yet, he noted among other things. “Now I must operate more institutionally,” he said conclusively, when asked if he would answer the phone again for such cases.
