The actions and decisions he made as President of OPEKEPE in the period 2019 – 2020 were defended by Mr. Grigoris Varras, submitting to the Inquiry Committee, which investigates the timeless pathogens of the Payment Mechanism.
Mr Varras described the reasons for conflict with then Minister of Rural Development and Food Maki Voridis, who led to his resignation, clarifying that he never informed the prime minister about them.
Concluding his introductory position, he said to the members of the Commission that he was submitting a folder with answers and documents on all issues concerning his term of office, he asked the Bureau to leave and not be asked questions.
Mr Varra’s request has sparked a strong reaction from opposition MPs calling on the witness to receive questions as otherwise he will be accused of covering up.
However, in his introductory position, the former president of the Organization said that Mr Voridis wanted to be aware of and participate in the preparation of the announcement of the International Competition for OPEKEPE’s technical adviser and argued that the specific action of the then minister was a “breach of duty”.
Gr. “Is any intervention in any competitive process as superior as one is. In your universities, your head passes if they are photographic or if your Rector requires you to put other issues in the competition. So I ask you: How is the infringement defined?
A. Nikolakopoulos: Please to be perceived, directly say what you want to say and not with rhetorical questions
GR Varra: Surely, you have read or see my deposit to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. A volume is my deposit. I am a university professor and I have care. Anything I say and do is with documents and data. There was mail and you will see it. There it looks like the interventionist -power character (Voridis). You as members of the Greek Parliament must see what the supervisor means. Because I heard in a derogatory way to say that the president of OPEKEPE is existing. Does the President of the Organization exist? The president is not heavily dedicated by the minister. The President of OPEKEPE is controlled by the European and Greek Court of Auditors. There he is accountable.
Elsewhere, Mr Varras said that his resignation was made after “pressure from Mr Voridis and Mr Athanasas (director of the minister then)” although he then rushed to clarify “we split with Mr Voridis smiling.
Intensity and interruption of session
However, all the members of the examination called Mr Varra to stay in the room and accept questions. The chairman of the Inquiry Committee Andreas Nikolakopoulos even informed the witness of the consequences of the Criminal Code in cases of refusal to warn even with violent prosecution.
For his part, Mr. Varra insisted on his decision, saying that his attitude was in harmony with the reports of the head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office of Laura Kovesi about harassment of witnesses. At that point, Ms Milena Apostolaki asked the witness if he was threatened to respond to Mr Varras negatively.
Eventually, Mr Nikolakopoulos stopped for one hour of the meeting in order for its members to be informed about the information submitted by Mr Varras and in order for the witness to decide whether he would insist on his original position or receive questions.