“No one will escape consequences,” declared the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Kostas Tsiaras, in his interview on Naftemporiki channel, sending a clear message for complete clarification of issues concerning OPEKEPE. “I want to make clear in every direction that no one will escape consequences. Everyone will be investigated: the rural development centers, certification bodies, technical advisors – all those who have involvement in the OPEKEPE process. They will be investigated regarding their role, their activities and their impact on everything that takes place in the real field and in relation to the results that exist for OPEKEPE. No one will remain outside the audit process,” the minister stated characteristically.
Kostas Tsiaras: Goal is for everyone who managed to defraud OPEKEPE to return the money
Mr. Tsiaras announced that a special operational team has already been formed, involving the Financial Police, AADE tax authority, audit mechanisms and service officials from the Ministry of Rural Development, noting that this team has full access to OPEKEPE data. “The effort we have launched is highly coordinated and involves the participation of many different actors, with one single goal: for all those who illegally managed – in quotes – to defraud OPEKEPE to return the money,” he emphasized.
The Minister assured that payment delays only concern cases where controls are necessary. “The fact that for some days the Financial Police had to extract data from OPEKEPE in order to complete their own investigation, you understand that this creates as a consequence a small delay in payment disbursement,” he noted, adding that payments scheduled for June 30 have not yet been completed, but “I want to believe that this week we will manage to complete them.”
Regarding the recovery of illegally paid money, Mr. Tsiaras stated: “We have said that we will proceed to recover this money by any legal means provided by national legislation. If necessary – one can end up with seizures.”
Referring to political responsibility, he pointed out that “we must be honest with each other – it doesn’t have its roots in yesterday, it is a chronic pathology,” adding that “we have no other margin but to confront this pathology and create a completely different condition.”
Mr. Tsiaras reminded that in 2015 the use of virtual pastures was decided and that in 2017 the existence of livestock was disconnected from subsidies. He also emphasized that the order to clean up OPEKEPE was given to him personally by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis: “From the first moment the Prime Minister called me to take over the position of Minister, he stressed that my first priority must be the cleanup of OPEKEPE.”
As he mentioned, for a year now a rehabilitation plan has been implemented, with the Organization under supervision by the Ministry, while the responsibility for special grazing plans has been recovered from the Regions. At the same time, the hiring of 100 additional employees is proceeding to strengthen controls.
Concluding, Mr. Tsiaras sent a clear message of support to the agricultural community: “OPEKEPE will now operate in an era of absolute transparency. Honest farmers and honest livestock breeders will enjoy the flow of European resources without shadows, without distortions, without injustices.”
