Zeybek’s harsh criticism: “Farmers face a dark future”
Hüseyin Zeybek, MP for İskeçe with the New Left Party, issued strong criticism following the first session of the parliamentary inquiry into the OPEKEPE scandal (Greek Agricultural Payments and Control Agency).
Zeybek accused Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ government of pushing farmers into poverty and despair, stating:
“The Mitsotakis government, with one scandal after another and its efforts to cover them up, is driving farmers step by step into poverty and deadlock.”
Inquiry Developments
OPEKEPE President Y. Kavvadas failed to answer key questions about the agency’s present and future. He also could not guarantee whether farmer support payments would be made in October.
The European Commission has reportedly set a deadline for Greece to submit an improved action plan to curb corruption.
Former OPEKEPE President K. Salatas used his testimony to attack whistleblowers and even criticized the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Zeybek’s Warning
Zeybek underlined that the situation reveals the government’s responsibility for the crisis facing farmers:
“At a critical time, when agriculture and livestock farming have been severely hit by animal diseases, the government has appointed individuals unfit to fulfill their duties at the head of OPEKEPE.”
