Zeybek slams Government over OPEKEPE scandal: “You were caught red-handed with fake grazing lands”

Hüseyin Zeybek, MP for İskeçe and Agricultural Policy Spokesperson for the New Left Party, delivered a scathing speech in parliament on Tuesday, criticizing the government’s handling of the OPEKEPE corruption scandal and accusing it of orchestrating a massive cover-up.

“You were caught red-handed with fake grazing lands, yet you continue to cover everything up,” Zeybek said from the podium, drawing attention to both the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) investigations and the government’s attempts to silence the opposition.

European Prosecutor Investigates Ministers, While Opposition Faces Charges
Zeybek highlighted that the EPPO has launched investigations into two former agriculture ministers from the ruling New Democracy party—Makis Voridis and Lefteris Avgenakis—for their alleged roles in the scandal. At the same time, a parliamentary file was opened against New Left leader Alekos Haritsis for participating in farmers’ protests—something Zeybek called a clear attempt to deflect attention from the scandal.

“A Sham Committee to Bury the Truth”
Zeybek condemned the government’s proposal to form a special inquiry committee, claiming it was intended not to investigate corruption but to obscure it.

“Just like you tried to pin the entire blame on the station master in the Tempi train disaster, you’re again trying to scapegoat others,” he said.

“Institutions Are Collapsing, the System Is Rotting”
The MP noted that OPEKEPE’s digital system crashed between 2022 and 2023, enabling widespread fraud. He revealed that the European Commission imposed a €415 million fine on OPEKEPE, with 80% of the irregularities occurring under New Democracy’s governance.

“Millions went to cronies, while real farmers are left in poverty,” Zeybek declared, calling it a web of corruption.

Whistleblowers Removed, Rewarded by Government
Zeybek also criticized the removal of former OPEKEPE presidents who attempted to expose the scandal. One of them, he said, was subsequently appointed to a role in the Prime Minister’s Office, prompting Zeybek to ask:

“Did Prime Minister Mitsotakis not question what this person had done?”

9,309 Fake Tax IDs and Pre-Election Payments
He also pointed to the removal of 9,309 invalid tax numbers from the subsidy system—only to have the restriction lifted before elections, allowing payments to resume. Zeybek accused the government of manipulating the system for electoral gain.

He noted that in just the past 18 months, the New Left had submitted over 200 parliamentary questions to the Agriculture Ministry, most of them related to the scandal.

“This Corrupt System Will Leave With You”
Zeybek concluded by highlighting deeper structural problems, such as the geographical clustering of fake tax IDs and the non-implementation of grazing plans for six years.

“The government’s days are numbered. You have plundered European and public funds. This corrupt system you’ve built will collapse with your fall,” Zeybek asserted.