Nikos Androulakis and PASOK – KINAL are set to take a hard stance against the revelations surrounding the OPEKEPE scandal. Indicative of his intentions were the statements made by Androulakis during his Monday evening interview on Mega’s “Live News” program, where he announced that PASOK will submit a proposal to establish a parliamentary investigation committee for the OPEKEPE scandal. “The actual evidence will be evaluated with great responsibility and PASOK – KINAL will submit a proposal for a parliamentary investigation committee regarding the political figures involved. When we are ready, we will announce our initiatives with clarity,” Nikos Androulakis stated characteristically.
PASOK: The parliamentary investigation issue at today’s Political Center meeting
The issue of the parliamentary investigation for OPEKEPE is expected to be discussed during this afternoon’s meeting of PASOK’s Political Center. Moreover, because there are concerns within the parliamentary group that certain crimes may be subject to statute of limitations, Nikos Androulakis and PASOK – KINAL are expected to take actions that will ensure there is no statute of limitations for the crimes under investigation involving the monitored ministers whose terms ended before the 2023 elections. Meanwhile, from Charilaou Trikoupi street they assure all their interlocutors that PASOK – KINAL will not cooperate with other opposition parties, because they have the necessary number of 30 MP signatures and insist on their strategy of autonomy.
Nikos Androulakis: There’s no “unfortunately we failed,” there’s “unfortunately we got caught”
Nikos Androulakis, commenting sarcastically on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ admission of failure, pointed out that “I heard the Prime Minister say: ‘unfortunately we failed.’ There’s no ‘unfortunately we failed.’ There’s ‘unfortunately we got caught.’ We had the same rhetoric, the same political approach with the wiretapping scandals. He didn’t… know, others beside him did it, he had no responsibility,” he said, speaking about a permanent pattern in Mitsotakis’ reactions. “One of the six volumes of the case file concerns what Mr. Varras has said. He was at Maximos Mansion from 2020 onwards. Didn’t Mr. Varras inform the Prime Minister about the OPEKEPE party that was right under his feet? Six OPEKEPE directors changed under Mitsotakis’ premiership and five ministers. Didn’t he show interest to ask: ‘what’s happening in there?'” the PASOK president added.
“They even want interest when I was telling them about OPEKEPE and they told me I had an obsession, that I wasn’t wearing the Greek national team jersey, as Avgenakis told me. Who was wearing it? Those who have dragged Greece through the mud?” Androulakis argued at another point.
He then listed PASOK’s parliamentary questions and his personal statements about the OPEKEPE scandal, with the party’s first intervention in 2020. Additionally, he enumerated PASOK’s parliamentary questions and his personal statements about the OPEKEPE scandal, with the party’s first intervention in 2020. “Not yesterday or a month ago. In 2020! In 2023, I raise the OPEKEPE issue again. In 2024, before the European elections, I raise it again. In the 2024 budget, the same. In 2025 I ask a current question to the Prime Minister about the primary sector issue with OPEKEPE at the forefront. In 2024 the then minister answers me – listen, please, because this encouraged Mr. Mitsotakis – that I have a strange obsession with OPEKEPE. Yes, I have an obsession with not having my country dragged through the mud. I have an obsession against corruption.”
Then Androulakis spoke about New Democracy’s family-run network. “Many of these are not just officials now. They’ve been officials since the time of father Mitsotakis. That’s why they organized these clientelist networks, supported them and not only encouraged them, but also covered them in all this operation we see before us today,” noted the PASOK-KINAL president. “Mr. Mitsotakis comes to redeem the country from his own scandals. There’s only one way to redeem it: political change, elections. And specifically elections at a time when there will be no possibility and no danger of statute of limitations for the crimes found in the case file,” emphasized the leader of the main opposition.
“If there’s an involved person with an institutional role in PASOK, they will be expelled from the party”
“If there’s an involved person with an institutional role in PASOK, they will be expelled from the party. It’s that simple, not like Mitsotakis who from 2019 to 2025 tolerated a network. If you prove to me that I knew and covered it up, I will personally take responsibility,” Nikos Androulakis emphasized. Finally, regarding PASOK’s political targeting, Androulakis noted: “Mr. Mitsotakis comes to redeem the country from his own scandals. There’s only one way to redeem it: political change, elections. And specifically elections at a time when there will be no possibility and no danger of statute of limitations for the crimes found in the case file.”
