The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has pledged to confront what he describes as a “deep state” that he believes is undermining the nation. This statement comes amid a growing political turmoil triggered by a farm fraud scandal that has led to the resignation of several government officials.
In a televised address, Mitsotakis sought to mitigate the impact of the scandal, referring to the emerging details as a “turning point” that has intensified his resolve to eliminate deep-rooted corruption within the government.
“I am committed to transforming Greece into a modern European state,” he stated, recognizing the country’s longstanding clientelistic political culture. “This marks a new beginning in our battle against the ‘deep state.’”
His remarks followed a cabinet reshuffle that was necessitated for the second time, prompted by the discovery of fraudulent claims for EU subsidies that first came to light last year.
The situation escalated last week when the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) revealed it was investigating 20 members of Mitsotakis’s center-right New Democracy party. Allegations suggest that nearly €300 million (approximately £260 million) was misappropriated through a state subsidy agency that has since been dissolved, covering a five-year span starting in 2017.
Reportedly, the fraudulent claims involved fictitious banana farms on Mount Olympus, olive groves located on military air force bases, and archaeological sites falsely declared as pastures for livestock.
As the repercussions of the scandal continue to unfold, demands for early elections have intensified. Despite typically being adept at managing crises, Mitsotakis has faced increasing criticism, even as his pro-business administration insists that the fraudulent activities commenced two years prior to his assumption of office in 2019.
Georgios Samaras, an assistant professor of public policy at King’s College London, characterized the Prime Minister’s address as “pure evasion and straightforward damage control,” noting that it arrived over nine months after a similar speech addressing the state’s failures in combating corruption.
Samaras emphasized that the farm fraud scandal could potentially represent the most significant crisis faced by Mitsotakis’s government to date.
The EPPO, which has been spearheading the investigations, recently requested that the parliamentary immunity of 11 New Democracy MPs be revoked concerning alleged offenses committed in 2021, two years after Mitsotakis took office. This group includes notable figures such as Konstantinos Tsiaras and Ioannis Kefalogiannis, both of whom resigned on Friday.
Evidence reportedly includes intercepted phone calls wherein politicians appear to be negotiating subsidy payments for their constituents, which forms part of the case files presented by the EPPO.
The EPPO stated, “The investigation pertains to alleged felonies and misdemeanors against the financial interests of the EU, specifically involving breach of trust, computer fraud, and false testimony intended to secure unlawful benefits for others.”
On Monday, Mitsotakis urged the agency to expedite its decision-making regarding potential prosecutions, asserting that his MPs “have already endured personal and political damage. They deserve the basic right to defend themselves.”
