Three high-ranking members of the Mitsotakis cabinet resigned on Friday after their names appeared in a judicial file transmitted to the Greek Parliament, linking them to an escalating European Union investigation into the farm subsidy scandal.
Kostas Tsiaras, Minister of Rural Development and Food, Ioannis Kefalogiannis, Minister of Civil Protection, and Dimitris Vartzopoulos, Deputy Minister of Health, were named in the investigation conducted by the European Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), along with at least eleven lawmakers of the ruling New Democracy party.
Tsiaras was replaced by Margaritis Sxoinas, and Kefalogiannis by Evangelos Tournas. Vartzopoulos’s portfolio will be assigned at a later date.
The investigation by EPPO centers on an organized fraud scheme targeting EU agricultural funds managed by the Greek payment agency, OPEKEPE. The alleged fraud centers on a sophisticated scheme to siphon off millions in EU agricultural subsidies through the agency.
The resignation of the three ministers marks a significant blow to the Mitsotakis administration, which is already under pressure from the wiretapping scandal. By stepping down, the ministers aimed to “facilitate the judicial process,” although the opposition has characterized the move as a desperate attempt at damage control.
Parliament is now expected to vote on the lifting of parliamentary immunity for the named MPs, a process that will determine if the judiciary can proceed with formal criminal charges related to the misappropriation of EU funds.
Related: EU Hits Greece With Massive Farm Subsidy Fraud Fine
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