ATHENS: The Greek government on Monday called for a special parliamentary committee to probe a European Union farm subsidies scandal, reportedly involving tens of millions of euros, that has seen at least two ministers put under EU investigation. Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said the ruling conservative party would request an investigation into the 27-year operation of the Greek authority for the payment of common agricultural policy aid (OPEKEPE). "Our proposal concerns the period from the establishment of OPEKEPE in 1998 until today in order to investigate the dysfunctions, identify the problems and ensure complete transparency," Marinakis told reporters.
An investigation by EU prosecutors has shown widespread abuse of funds at OPEKEPE, which according to the government annually disburses 2.5 billion euros to nearly 650,000 farmers. Reports said prosecutors suspect tens of millions of euros have been siphoned off. The investigation period is mostly under the current government, which came to power in July 2019. But the government argues that the fraud has lasted decades. In nearly 30 years, the Greek state has paid more than 2.7 billion euros in fines, Marinakis said. — AFP
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