Frontal attack on the government and straight complaints about the scandal of illegal agricultural subsidies have launched a SYRIZA MP of Chania-Progressive Alliance, Paul Polakis. In his position, he referred to a “electing feudalism” that has become a “criminal organization” with political guidance from the narrow core of Maximus Grand, directly denouncing the government for concealment, disintegration of public money and institutional tolerance.
Pavlos Polakis emphasized that the extent and approach of the scandal to OPEKEPE is not an administrative failure or timeless pathogenesis, but the result of a system of distribution of subsidies with false land statements, non -existent productions and thousands of IDs without any agricultural activity. As he characteristically stated: “When 180,000 VAT without a single acre of land or animal are subsidized with hundreds of thousands of euros, this is not negligence, it is a plan.”
Rejecting government objections to “dissemination of responsibility”, Pavlos Polakis referred extensively to the SYRIZA government’s interventions in the period 2015–2019 in the agricultural sector, stating that he feels “extremely proud” of what was then in favor of real producers.
Specifically, he recalled that:
- The technical solution was successfully implemented that re -established 10 million acres to the eligibility of subsidies, which had been rejected by previous governments, leading to the avoidance of a fine of € 500 million by the European Commission.
- Aid was paid pending in 2008 and 2012 for organic farming and livestock farming, restoring the confidence of farmers to the state.
- The subsidies were paid with complete consistency and transparency, in time, without the possibility of political interventions, customer approval or fictitious statements.
- Following the natural disaster “Oceanida” in Crete in 2019, 2,300,000 sheep and goats were subsidized with 5 euros per animal, in full identification of the OPEKEPE data with ELSTAT.
- The registration system was reliable and transparent, as opposed to today’s elements, which show families to be subsidized multiple with the same surname and without production in production.
Chania MP also denounced the former president of OPEKEPE Fani Pappas for canceling the tender for the new information system, in order to remain in force the previous contractors and to maintain business interests. As he said, “this act served the criminal organization that needed ‘blind’ software to work.”
His target was also found by AADE, for which he requested his reintegration at the Ministry of Finance, stressing that it acts as a paramilitary mechanism of concealment. “Pitsilis cannot control any fifty debt, but not seeing hundreds of thousands of euros in people without a single field,” he said.
He also made a special reference to the conscious environmental degradation in favor of RES companies, denouncing the destruction of productive land in favor of Pharaohs: “In Crete, these projects will not pass. They will find us in front of them. “
Pavlos Polakis closed his speech with a proposal of deep state change, which include:
- Changing how to calculate subsidies based on quantitative productive criteria (milk, wheat, meat) and not just acres of land.
- Strengthening the real farmers and unleashing the system by fictitious beneficiaries.
- Justice that will not hide corruption cases, by strengthening institutions, integration of pre -investigation with the primary questioning and strengthening of the number of judges.
- Political and institutional cleansing with novartis refund and accountability of those responsible.
Concluding, Pavlos Polakis emphasized: “OPECEPE’s scandal is the beginning of your end. These are not timeless responsibilities, but your own system, which you set up to redeem votes and maintain power. Society calls for justice, transparency and change. And it will have it. “