The president of SYRIZA, Sokratis Famellos, launched a fierce attack against the government of New Democracy in Parliament over the OPEKEPE case and the government’s proposal to establish an investigative committee covering the period from 1998 to present. In his intervention at the Parliament’s plenary session, Sokratis Famellos accused the government of trying to “throw in the trash” the European prosecutor’s case file regarding what he characterized as the OPEKEPE scandal.
Famellos: “Blue boys scandal” at OPEKEPE
During the Parliament debate, Sokratis Famellos characterized the OPEKEPE case as a “scandal of blue boys and blue locusts.” The SYRIZA president emphasized in Parliament that Greece finds itself at the center of a massive corruption scandal exposed by the European prosecutor’s office concerning the Mitsotakis government.
“You come now to silence Greek justice and request an investigation going back 30 years. Everyone understands the manipulation to bury the truth,” Sokratis Famellos declared from the Parliament podium. Sokratis Famellos stressed in Parliament that the OPEKEPE case file refers exclusively to the current government and the responsibility of its ministers. “Why do you deny truth and justice? And insult Parliament?” questioned the SYRIZA president. In his Parliament intervention, Sokratis Famellos pointed out that the evidence in the OPEKEPE case file is “undeniable” and accused the government of requesting an investigative committee to avoid investigating its ministers’ responsibilities.
“Legislation is for others, not for New Democracy”
In another part of his Parliament speech, Sokratis Famellos emphasized: “Legislation exists for others but not for his own people, and no one has the right to stop the looting of Mitsotakis Inc.” The SYRIZA president accused the prime minister of “throwing in the trash the European prosecutor’s case file” regarding the OPEKEPE scandal, which states there are crimes involving government ministers.
Questions about sheep and goat population increase under New Democracy
During the Parliament discussion on OPEKEPE, Sokratis Famellos posed specific questions: “How do you explain that sheep and goats increased from 2.2 million to 7.8 million under New Democracy? While under SYRIZA they remained stable? From the 2020 national reserve, why did 67% go to Crete under Voridis?” Sokratis Famellos also referred in Parliament to OPEKEPE’s transfer to the tax authority, wondering: “Didn’t the tax authority detect any sudden enrichment? Didn’t it conduct any checks on the blue locusts, the fraudsters and the butchers?”
The SYRIZA president concluded his Parliament speech on OPEKEPE by stating: “Your proposal wants to bury the European prosecutor’s case file and that’s why we vote against your deceitful and hypocritical proposal. The scandal is entirely yours. You are a corrupt government.” Sokratis Famellos’ intervention in Parliament over the OPEKEPE case highlights the intense political confrontation the matter has caused in the Greek parliament.
