Top Greek ministers resign over EU farm subsidy fraud scandal
Among those stepping down is Minister of Migration and Asylum Makis Voridis, who previously served as Minister of Agriculture during part of the period under investigation. He is joined by Deputy Foreign Minister Tasos Hatzivasileiou, Deputy Minister of Rural Development Dionysis Stamenitis, Deputy Minister of Digital Governance Christos Boukoros, and Secretary General of Rural Development and Food Giorgos Stratakos.
The resignations come amid a wide-ranging probe by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), which has charged dozens of Greek livestock farmers with submitting false declarations to receive EU farming subsidies.
The alleged fraud involves claims of owning or leasing public pastureland and continuing to submit false livestock declarations through 2024 to retain subsidy payments.
The fraud is said to have occurred between 2019 and 2022, implicating OPEKEPE—the Greek state agency responsible for managing and distributing EU agricultural funds.
According to the EPPO, a “significant number of individuals” received payments based on falsified information. Earlier this month, the European Commission imposed a €392.2 million fine on Greece over the mismanagement. It also announced a 5% cut to the country’s future agricultural subsidies, citing persistent oversight failures.
In a letter to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Voridis denied any wrongdoing but said his resignation was necessary to clear his name and avoid undermining the government. “Because my status as a suspect of committing criminal acts is not consistent with my status as a member of the government... I submit to you my resignation,” he wrote.
Voridis, 60, has a controversial political history. He led the youth wing of a party founded by jailed dictator Georgios Papadopoulos and later founded the nationalist Hellenic Front before joining the conservative New Democracy party in 2012.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis accepted all five resignations, with a government spokesperson saying replacements will be announced “in the coming days.”
The main opposition party, PASOK, has called for a full parliamentary inquiry into the matter. Because members of the Greek Parliament enjoy immunity from prosecution, a formal vote is required before any legal proceedings can move forward against sitting lawmakers.
The government has pledged to overhaul OPEKEPE by merging it with Greece’s tax authority (AADE), with support from international consultants. OPEKEPE currently manages around €2.4 billion in annual EU farm subsidies. Greece had expected to receive approximately €1.9 billion in direct payments next year before the cuts were announced.
