New Democracy’s mobilization to shed “light” on every aspect of the OPEKEPE case was emphasized by the party’s secretary, Kostas Skrekas. Specifically, in his interview with radio station ATHINA 9.84, Mr. Skrekas expressed his conviction that the stolen funds will be returned, the guilty will be punished, and the investigation will be thorough.
Responding to criticism not only from the opposition but also from members of the “blue” faction who claim nothing was done in this direction, the New Democracy secretary characterized these accusations as incorrect. At the same time, Kostas Skrekas diagnosed “dominance of populism and toxicity in opposition discourse,” which, as he said, “doesn’t help the country, nor the parties that express it according to polls.” He admitted, however, that “while things were done, they weren’t enough and now permanent solutions must be provided.”
According to Kostas Skrekas, ministers from the governing party moved in the past to address irregularities that reached the prosecutor’s office. However, he emphasized that the purpose of the investigation through the investigative committee proposed by New Democracy is “to uproot and prevent repetition of the problems that unfortunately led to 2.7 billion euros in fines imposed on the country from 1998 to today by the EU.”
“Therefore, the investigative committee can bring to light and thoroughly investigate a case, given that its sessions are open and not behind closed doors,” said Kostas Skrekas.
Kostas Skrekas: All this must be announced and the guilty must be punished
According to Mr. Skrekas, OPEKEPE reached a point where it couldn’t fairly distribute subsidies to Greek farmers. “This needs to change immediately. This is the aim of the Prime Minister’s decision to dissolve the organization and place it under AADE supervision. Also, a strike team that has already been established must investigate even the last suspicious tax number for receiving undue payments. All this must be announced and the guilty must be punished.”
Regarding PASOK’s proposal to support New Democracy’s investigative committee, provided it supports its own request for a preliminary investigation, Kostas Skrekas explained: “The investigative committee comes first and the preliminary investigation follows, as the goal of the investigative committee is to conduct an investigation, call witnesses, institutional bodies and involved parties to testify in order to conclude with a preliminary investigation, if there are indications or evidence of political figures who may be involved. The case file came to Parliament from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office without being completed, as it… stumbled upon political figures.”
Kostas Skrekas: The current government and Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledge the mistake
“The current government and Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledge the mistake. The Prime Minister takes responsibility for the fact that we didn’t succeed as well as we should have, but we commit to providing clear and permanent solutions within a two-year horizon until the national elections. The guilty must be punished, the money must be returned, and the real farmer who toils daily to produce what’s necessary for all of us to live must be vindicated,” he also noted.
Finally, regarding housing and cost of living problems, the New Democracy secretary said: “Increasing disposable income will provide a permanent solution. Through the development of our national economy, which is growing at double the rate compared to the European average.”
