EPPO opens criminal proceedings against four New Democracy MPs in OPEKEPE subsidy case
Published · Updated
What happened
EPPO widened the OPEKEPE farm-subsidy fraud case by naming four incumbent New Democracy MPs in criminal proceedings. Because the accused are sitting lawmakers, the case now intersects with Greek parliamentary immunity rules and raises the likelihood of formal requests, party discipline decisions, and opposition attempts to force debate or obstruction.
Why it matters
This shifts the affair from an administrative fraud case into a live governing-party scandal with institutional consequences. Once sitting MPs are implicated, the political cost rises materially: parliamentary time can be consumed by immunity questions, ministers or MPs may be pressured to resign, and the government’s legislative bandwidth can narrow even without an immediate collapse.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office on 16 July 2026 launched criminal proceedings against four sitting MPs from Greece’s ruling New Democracy party over allegedly illegal farm-subsidy payments linked to OPEKEPE. The move turns a broader fraud investigation into a direct parliamentary and coalition-management problem because any next steps involving lawmakers can trigger immunity procedures and intensify opposition demands for accountability. The case is now a building domestic-political risk for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, with plausible paths to resignations, procedural blockage in parliament, or wider damage to government authority.
Watch for
European Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmation on or after 2026-08-04 of any request transmitted to the Hellenic Parliament concerning the four MPs’ immunity status Hellenic Parliament publication on or after 2026-08-04 of a committee referral, plenary scheduling notice, or immunity docket tied to the OPEKEPE case New Democracy parliamentary group announcement on or after 2026-08-04 of any whip action, suspension, or resignation involving the named MPs Greek government spokesperson briefing on or after 2026-08-04 explicitly ruling out or confirming cabinet or parliamentary changes linked to OPEKEPE
Sources
- News and current affairs from Germany and around the world · dw.com
- Kathimerini · ekathimerini.com
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