PHOTO: Makis Voridis, Minister of Migration, resigned along with three other members of the Mitsotakis government.
The resignation of Makis Voridis from the position of Minister of State did not go unnoticed by the international press, with major media outlets reporting another blow to the credibility of the Mitsotakis government, amid a series of scandals and growing social discontent.
The OPEKEPE case, which is being investigated by the Justice Department and includes references to former ministers Makis Voridis and Lefteris Avgenakis, was the catalyst for his sudden departure from the government.
Politico: “Greek agriculture scandal sparks resignations in top government”
“Several officials at the top of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ‘ center-right government resigned on Friday after their names appeared in a European prosecutor’s dossier implicating them in a massive fraud scheme against the EU’s rich agricultural budget, “ Politico reports, citing the names of the politicians.
“Earlier this month, the European Commission imposed a fine of around 400 million euros on Greece for mismanagement of EU agricultural funding and inadequate controls,” the publication states, while elsewhere it emphasizes: “According to Greek and European agriculture officials, more fines are expected to follow. The Greek government has said it will close OPEKEPE by next year and payments for agricultural products will be made through the Independent Authority for Public Revenue.”
Greek Immigration Minister resigns, citing EU subsidy investigation
Greek Immigration Minister Makis Voridis resigned on Friday, following his involvement in a European Union investigation into the abuse of subsidies to Greek farmers, but he denied any wrongdoing.
Bloomberg: Greek Immigration Minister Resigns Amid Alleged Irregularities Revealed
“Greek Immigration Minister Makis Voridis has resigned amid revelations of alleged irregularities related to European funds for agriculture, while denying any wrongdoing.
The decision comes after the European Public Prosecutor’s Office sent the Greek parliament a case file about alleged wrongdoing by the Greek Common Agricultural Policy Payments Authority, known as OPEKEPE and which manages European Union agricultural subsidies. The file is not public, although members of parliament can read it,” Bloomberg writes.
Anadolu: Greek minister resigns over EU agricultural subsidy fraud scandal
Anadolu reports: “ Greek Immigration Minister Makis Voridis, also a former Agriculture Minister, resigned on Friday over a major scandal involving fraud in EU agricultural subsidies.
In addition to Vorides, Deputy Foreign Minister Tasos Hatzivassiliou, Deputy Minister of Rural Development Dionysis Stamenitis, Deputy Minister of Digital Governance Christos Boukoros and Secretary General of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food Giorgos Stratakos also resigned, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis announced on Friday.
The case file for OPEKEPE
The case file compiled for the OPEKEPE case includes testimonies and documents that allegedly implicate high-ranking government officials in the management of funds and assignments through the Organization . According to information that has come to light, the name of Makis Voridis is mentioned in the file.
The prosecutor’s investigation is examining project assignments and payments to third parties that were allegedly made without transparent procedures , while it is also being investigated whether there was pressure to bypass official recommendations. Voridis himself, in unofficial conversations, is reported to have stated that he “never interfered in the procedures of OPEKEPE” and that his resignation is “political in nature, in order to facilitate the government’s work.”
Mitsotakis’ distancing strategy
Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ decision to accept Voridis’ resignation and to frame it with leaks about a ” clear message of zero tolerance” , is part, according to analysts, of a crisis management strategy and containment of political corruption. Already, in circles of the Maximos Palace, there is talk of a reshuffle in the fall, with the removal of those ministers or associates who carry “political weight” due to their involvement in cases such as OPEKEPE.
Harsh opposition reactions to the government’s stance on the OPEKEPE scandal
The entire opposition reacted with anger on Friday to the events surrounding the major OPEKEPE scandal.
Costas Tsoukalas: The scandal has a mastermind, organization and was carried out at the expense of the Greek people
The PASOK press spokesman stated: ” We are still studying the case file, as it is 3 thousand pages. Yesterday, both the MPs and the legal team supporting them saw the case file and with a first overview, it seems that elements emerge that require further investigation .”
” We will not make accusations ,” he stressed.
” As for the criminal investigation, we will immediately evaluate the way in which it will be carried out. There are two testimonies by Messrs. Varras and Simandrakos , which any lawyer who reads them can understand that they are sufficient to establish the need to further investigate possible criminal responsibilities. It is too early to say anything else. However, there is Mr. Varras who says that he was asked to resign by the then minister, Mr. Voridis , and when asked about the reasons why he was asked to do so, he believes that it was because he was looking after the interests of OPEKEPE and gave orders to strengthen controls and all of this disturbed a system, and thus his removal was organized. This is enough for there to be further control. Accordingly, Mr. Simandrakos for the then minister, Mr. Avgenakis .”
Mr. Tsoukalas emphasized that ” the existence of a scandal is a given. What we need to see is whether there was political cover-up or political tolerance . It must be checked whether there was any possible co-organization – it is too early to say anything like that – but all of this is being checked .”
” The New Democracy government is preoccupied with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office more than any other country at the moment. We had said as a comment that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office should move to Greece, but now it seems that this is becoming a reality. This slander does not honor the country, ” he added.
Socrates Famellos: Mr. Mitsotakis is personally responsible
The president of SYRIZA-PS is calling for the resignation of the government and elections after the resignations of the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Makis Voridis, and the 3 deputy ministers, over the OPEKEPE scandal.
In his statement he states:
” Today’s resignations of ministers, the material from the OPEKEPE case file, the unthinkable conversations revealed, but also the two previous referrals of ministers by Mr. Mitsotakis for the Tempi crime, reveal that this government is the government of scandals and entanglements .”
Mr. Mitsotakis is personally responsible for these scandals. His own people are involved in the scandal of the criminal organization in OPEKEPE, which had even targeted the European Prosecutor. He is completely delegitimized in the eyes of the Greek people. Every day he spends with this government is to the detriment of the country and the Greek people .
“We don’t need a reshuffle, but the resignation of the government, elections and a progressive government that will put the country back on its feet.”
KKE: The government cannot be “washed away” through resignations
” The government is deeply mistaken if it thinks it can be “washed away” through the resignations of government officials .”
The OPEKEPE scandal is not limited only to the responsibilities of the relevant ministers or those whose conversations are recorded in the case file .
The “industry” of swindlers, which bears the stamp of the New Democracy government , operated through a completely corrupt payment system that was developed on the basis of the EU’s anti-people Common Agricultural Policy. This system was co-designed by all governments, together with Brussels, in order to gild the pill of the plundering of the struggling farmer by the monopolies. Today, the “tip of the iceberg” is simply coming to the surface.
We warn the government not to resort to its well-known practice of covering up this case, as well as not to dare to burden the struggling farmers and the Greek people with the “broken” parts of OPEKEPE’s “meals, ” as it seems to be planning to do.
Kyriakos Velopoulos: Where did they get the case file before it came to Parliament?
” If we don’t prosecute (or so he said) now, Ms. Papandreou , the European prosecutor, we have an issue,” is a declaration of guilt and mainly an interference in justice , which with Article 134, paragraph 3, unfortunately means ultimate treason for ND, something common for this party.
One question: how did the ministers know and get the case file before it came to parliament? Who gave it and were those involved informed ?
Freedom Voyage: With persistence, Z. Konstantopoulou managed to get the case file to Parliament and the revelations begin
” With persistence and perseverance, the president of Plefsis Eleftherias, Zoe Konstantopoulou, managed to get the case file for the OPEKEPE scandal to reach Parliament, despite the constant delays and manipulations of the government.”
It is worth noting that the president of Plefsis Eleftherias on Friday 20/6/25 contacted the Prosecutor of the Supreme Court, Ms. Adeilini, to be informed about the case file, which had been forwarded since 19/6/25 by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and instead of reaching the Parliament, was in Ms. Adeilini’s office.
As early as 20/6/25, Zoe had made it clear in her statements that the government was wasting time with pretexts to prepare and was using methods to prevent the transmission of the case file to Parliament, in violation of the Constitution. On Wednesday 25/6/25, while she had received repeated immoral attacks from government ministers and MPs as well as from the President of the Supreme Court, Zoe, with three interventions in the Plenary Session of the Parliament, forced the government to announce the case file to Parliament at 9 pm, with a delay of 6 days. Despite all this, as she herself revealed, the Special Secretariat of the President of the Parliament did not allow MPs to have access to the case file.
By 7 pm on Thursday, June 26, 2025, Freedom Voyage had not gained access to the case file and just one hour after Zoe’s statements and 7 days after it was sent by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, MPs were finally able to gain access to the case file in question, under certain conditions.
Freedom Cruise has patience, but most of all, it has perseverance and knows very well that the Truth always comes out in the end and we are here precisely to shed light on the truth in this very dirty case .
See also:
Money was stolen.
Who is going to prison?
Who is going to “peel the onion”, and realize that this “farming subsidy scandal” is only the tip of the iceberg?
Why did the Greek government say it would pay back the EU (presumably from the “overtaxed” Greek people that were not involved in the farming scandal)?
Instead of focusing on these question, a couple of ministers resign in a diversionary tactic so the media will “go away”.