Theoretically, the discussion was about measures to support livestock farmers from the smallpox epidemic
OPEKEPE case, the involvement of party officials in the investigated procedures for the payment of European funds and even intra-party balances included the confrontation of the parliamentary representatives in the debate that is developing in the plenary on the measures to support livestock farmers from the smallpox epidemic.
The parliamentary representative of New Democracy, Makarios Lazaridis, referred to his case OPEKEPE, he referred to dark reporting centers that functioned as hubs of illegality, forming the matrix of the entanglement and manipulation of agricultural subsidies, he referred to the Organization’s dependence on the Technical Advisor who joined the Organization in 2010, during the PASOK era. “According to an official complaint that has been submitted to the administration of OPEKEPE and to the Minister of Rural Development, Mr. Tsiaras, one of the reporting centers, which are explicitly named for their role, is that of S.B. This center has its headquarters in Orestiada, but has activity in the entire Prefecture of Evros. Both the Greek judiciary and the European Prosecutor’s Office have launched an investigation into the matter and it is also being investigated by the “OPEKEPE’s Technical Controls Department, this name should remind you of something. For those who do not know, Mr. S.V. was a candidate for PASOK in Evros and to this day remains PASOK’s deputy secretary and added that the President of PASOK must remove this member from every position. responsibility to his party.
Once again the squeezed New Democracy, all it has to do is throw mud at the fan, commented the parliamentary representative of PASOK Pavlos Geroulanos and criticized the ND for going after people who have been proven innocent, in an attempt to balance what the government has done. “You, when you huddled together, sent your MPs to their homes and told them to vote by mail, so that Mr. Mitsotakis could check whether they would vote for what he wanted. So you are speaking and your president has spoiled you in this way and you tolerate it? And are you giving us lessons in democracy?”, said Mr. Geroulanos and noted that at the moment there is a case file for participation in a criminal organization. embezzlement of European funds, assistance in embezzlement, incitement to the commission of these crimes and this is a case file that “goes after the government” because it talks about ND officials.
“I did not receive an answer”, commented Makarios Lazaridis and added that it is Mr. Geroulanos himself who has said that there is a question of intra-party democracy in PASOK and therefore democracy lessons cannot be addressed to the New Democracy faction.
“You managed to humiliate a debate, during which a level had been kept”, said Pavlos Geroulanos and insisted that the ND parliamentary representative continues to accuse persons, for whom there is no case file. “When the MP has the right to vote in secret and you leave the voting, in order to vote with a postal vote openly, you spoil the parliamentary democratic process”, said the PASOK parliamentary representative and in relation to Mr. Lazaridis’ complaint, he replied: “our president has stated that ‘we will not ask for anything more from New Democracy than we are ready to do for any of our own executives, if there are any evidence that will come with a case file. If there is, we will have the same attitude towards our own deputies. And you can say this? You were given the opportunity to rise to the occasion. And you should be ashamed of yourself!”
“We have admitted that we did not run so quickly, so efficiently, so decisively, but many of the cases we are discussing today should have been sent to justice by SYRIZA, from 2017-2018, because that’s when they started. And this faction, the Mitsotakis government, had to come to start sending cases to Greek justice, long before the European Public Prosecutor’s Office was established,” said Mr. Lazaridis.
“Explain to us how it is that someone whom Mr. Voridis, a former minister, considers unreliable, is serving in the Maximos palace today, serving as an adviser to Kyriakos Mitsotakis,” said SYRIZA’s parliamentary representative Christos Giannoulis and noted “when Mr. Varras started looking for the truth about the theft of millions of euros from blue locusts, he was dismissed by OPEKEPE and the next day he was presented at the Maximos palace”. Mr. Giannoulis accused Makarios Lazaridis who points the finger at the opposition, Sokratis Famellos and Vangelis Apostolou for audacity.
Makarios Lazaridis, commenting on a report by Mr. Giannoulis that New Democracy has a problem with democracy, said: “you know, those who change their grassroots-elected leader and elect another bouzouzidiko have a problem with democracy. Also, parties that abolish themselves with a statement by their president and join a party that does not exist have a problem with democracy.”
“I don’t frequent, neither in bouzoukis, nor in doghouses. But I listen to interviews of former prime ministers who characterize the government you support as utilitarians, comfortable in their chairs and people who have no sensitivity for the future of this place”, said Mr. Giannoulis and accused Makarios Lazaridis of bringing “political mud” to the Parliament hall instead of giving answers, on behalf of the party of him, for the “stealing” and to apologize for his indolence and inactivity.
“I am surprised by the support for the former prime minister, Mr. Antonis Samaras, the man who, together with nine other politicians, you hung on the pegs and wanted to lock them in prison, for the Novartis case. Go Argeios!”, said the parliamentary representative of the New Democracy.
“When you hear the man who represents the New Democracy parliamentary group say that the government reacted promptly and effectively, that is to say, sorry, we have no stomach for laughing. We made a new liver! The government reacted promptly and effectively? To OPEKEPE? In the primary sector? Where are you saying this, guys?”, commented the Hellenic Solution’s parliamentary representative Konstantinos Chitas and added that the scandals are breaking out one after the other, but according to New Democracy, the government has no responsibility. “I mean, how did you react in a timely and effective manner and the prime minister leaves the fields? People are crying! Don’t you understand?” said the Hellenic Solution MP.
“The position of farmers will deteriorate rapidly with the revision of the Common Agricultural Policy that is now being discussed”, said the parliamentary representative of the KKE Nikos Karathavasopoulos and added that “the OPEKEPE scandal is a scandal that has the signature of the New Democracy, but this scandal developed on the soil of the rotten system with fertilizer of the EU policy, which EU it is also the definition of corruption and entanglement”. Over time and from the first moment of its establishment, OPEKEPE was an empty carcass and the agricultural cooperatives-AU, the business groups and the banks looted it, said the KKE member of parliament and emphasized that the scandal developed on this carcass, with the blessings of all the ruling parties and the EU.
“For you to come after five years and tell us ‘we want a new control model’, first of all no one believes you”, commented the parliamentary representative of the New Left Nasos Iliopoulos and added, addressing the government: “No one believes you, because OPEKEPE with Varras and Simandrakos went to do these controls and you expelled them. And you then did everything for to pay VAT, you have done everything to support the frauds and today you have blown up the agricultural world. What we are talking about is aspirins in front of what you have achieved. And answer if you can.