Following the update of the witness list for the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee on OPEKEPE, all attention has turned to the testimonies of Giorgos Xilouris (nicknamed “Frappe”), Andreas Stratakis (nicknamed “Butcher”) and Popi Semertzidou (the farmer with the Ferrari) as a priority, and secondly to what Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Giorgos Mylonakis, Minister of State Akis Skertsos, Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou and former Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Giannis Bratakos will testify.
OPEKEPE: “Frappe”, “Butcher” and Semertzidou under parliamentary microscope
Among those mentioned above, the greatest interest will be focused on “Frappe’s” testimony, given that he appears in the legal wiretapping conversations of the massive case file, and also because many witnesses have referred to the aggressive behavior he displayed during his contacts with officials from the Ministry of Agricultural Development and OPEKEPE. It should be noted that Giorgos Xilouris is under investigation by the Anti-Money Laundering Authority as unexplained wealth of approximately 2.5 million euros was identified. The investigation covers the period 2021-2023 and revealed significant discrepancies between declared income and his actual financial status.
During the wealth declaration checks, it was found that the producer from Crete had not submitted a declaration despite the relevant obligation. Investigation of his financial data revealed that approximately 2.5 million euros cannot be justified as to its origin. Additionally, inspectors found he owned eight vehicles, including a luxury Jaguar, which also cannot be justified by his income.
Based on the findings, the case file was forwarded to the competent prosecutor for possible violation of wealth declaration laws and will be sent to the Court of Audit for potential fines and charges. Meanwhile, the Authority continues investigating to determine whether evidence emerges for money laundering crimes. According to all indications and based on scheduling, “Frappe” will enter room 223 of Parliament on November 20, while Andreas Stratakis, known as “Butcher”, appears to testify the same day.
Based on the schedule, Popi Semertzidou – whose assets have been frozen – will testify on November 24, along with resigned secretary of Heraklion Prefecture Committee of PASOK Lambros Antonopoulos. Meanwhile, on November 25, PASOK MP for Rethymno Manolis Chnaris and New Democracy MP for Magnesia Christos Boukoros will appear before the Parliamentary Inquiry. It should be noted that Christos Boukoros had spoken on television saying he had been informed by the Prime Minister’s Office about phone surveillance at an earlier time than when the OPEKEPE scandal broke. Also on November 26, Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Giorgos Mylonakis and Minister of State Akis Skertsos may testify.
Indeed, it’s not excluded that during Mr. Boukoros and Mr. Mylonakis’ testimonies, Course of Freedom leader Zoe Konstantopoulou may want to be present in the chamber, as she had previously raised the issue that these two individuals should be called as witnesses to the Parliamentary Inquiry. Finally, during the last week of November, testimonies from Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou and Giannis Bratakos are expected.
Extension possibility becomes visible
Since the Parliamentary Inquiry’s work is scheduled for three months and would apparently be completed before Christmas, it seems we’re heading toward a few-month extension to submit the report. However, parliamentary sources said that the new case file that could reach Parliament at any moment must be taken seriously (yesterday’s Big Mouth commentary mentioned it’s not excluded it could reach Parliament even on the first day of budget discussions). Naturally, in such a case, a new round of confrontation between government and opposition would begin.
