The government’s decision to fully investigate the OPEKEPE case and ensure the return of every illegally paid amount was expressed by the Minister of Agricultural Development, Kostas Tsiaras, emphasizing that “the cleanup will go all the way to the end”. Indeed, he stressed the government’s intention to confront every pathology of the past, while pointing out that data cross-referencing is already underway, emphasizing that “if necessary, we will proceed even with asset freezes. The cleanup at OPEKEPE will go all the way to the end”
Tsiaras: We will recover all money illegally obtained from OPEKEPE – If necessary we will proceed with asset freezes
Specifically, the Minister of Agricultural Development, Kostas Tsiaras stated that “We will confront every pathology from the past. We will focus on recovering the unduly paid amounts. At this moment, all data from OPEKEPE has been extracted to make the necessary cross-references. If necessary we will proceed with asset freezes, there will be a return of the money that some took illegally. The cleanup of OPEKEPE will go all the way to the end” Mr. Tsiaras characteristically said on OREN
Regarding the New Democracy proposal for a parliamentary inquiry, the Minister of Agricultural Development said “to see the big picture of OPEKEPE one could not focus only on two periods that the European prosecutor has concentrated on. It is our duty to see who left ‘windows’ open for some opportunists to receive subsidies.” At the same time, he reminded that “very specific steps had been taken for the rehabilitation of OPEKEPE” noting that “the prime minister set it as my first priority when he assigned me the portfolio.” As he noted “the role of OPEKEPE is very critical for the economy as every month it gives on average over 200 million to over 640,000 people.” He finally assured that “we will ensure the smooth flow of money from Europe to honest farmers to maintain high cohesion in the Greek periphery”
