Greek migration minister resigns citing EU subsidy probe
ATHENS - Greek migration minister Makis Voridis resigned on Friday after being implicated in a European Union investigation into the misuse of subsidies to Greek farmers but he denied any wrongdoing.
The EU earlier this month imposed a 392.2 million-euro ($460.3 million) fine on Greece over a major scandal involving the mismanagement of agricultural subsidies by a government agency between 2016 and 2022.
"Because my status as a suspect of committing criminal acts is not consistent with my status as a member of the government and in order not to hinder the government's work, I submit to you my resignation," Voridis said in a letter to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Mitsotakis accepted Voridis' resignation and a government spokesman said a replacement would be announced in the coming days. Another four government officials have also resigned, the spokesman said, without giving a reason for their decision.
Greece's opposition Socialists said they would request the launch of a parliamentary investigation into Voridis' possible involvement in the subsidies scandal.
Voridis served as agriculture minister from 2019 to 2021.
European prosecutors recently charged dozens of Greek livestock farmers who received EU financial aid via the Greek government's payments agency OPEKEPE with making false declarations of ownership or leasing of pastureland.
Last month Athens promised to overhaul OPEKEPE, which is in charge of paying out annual subsidies to farmers worth about 2.4 billion euros, by merging it with Greece's tax authorities, with international consultants assisting in the transition.
The European Commission decided to reduce the farm subsidies Greece will receive in the coming years by 5%, reflecting its view that there has long been no proper supervision and operation of the subsidy management model.
Greece had expected to receive about 1.9 billion euros in direct EU subsidies next year. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
South African president expects DA to propose replacement for axed deputy minister
FILE PHOTO: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attends a press conference, after his White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo JOHANNESBURG - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday he expected his party's main coalition partner, the Democratic Alliance (DA), to propose a replacement for the DA deputy trade minister he fired earlier this week. Ramaphosa's decision to sack Andrew Whitfield over an unauthorised trip to the United States drew an angry response from the DA on Thursday, the latest public spat between the two biggest parties in the multi-party government. The president said in a statement that Whitfield had violated established practice for members of the national executive. "Prior to the removal of Mr Whitfield, I informed Minister John Steenhuisen as the leader of the Democratic Alliance... and (told Steenhuisen) that I expect him to present to me for approval a replacement," Ramaphosa said. The DA has called a press conference for Saturday to say what it will do next. Political and financial analysts expect the Government of National Unity coalition to hold, despite the often-fractious relationship between Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) and the DA. The former liberation movement and the pro-business DA are far apart ideologically and have clashed over this year's budget and policies to address racial inequality. But the ANC needs the support of at least one other big party to pass legislation, and the DA wants to show voters it can make a difference in the cabinet portfolios it secured by teaming up with the ANC. Steenhuisen gave a speech in parliament on Thursday calling on Ramaphosa to fire corruption-implicated ANC officials in his cabinet instead of removing Whitfield, threatening unspecified consequences if Ramaphosa did not do so. Ramaphosa said on Friday he would not yield to threats. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Trump says he would consider bombing Iran again if necessary
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media, after the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the power of federal judges by restricting their ability to grant broad legal relief in cases as the justices acted in a legal fight over President Donald Trump's bid to limit birthright citizenship, in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington D.C., June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno Trump says he would consider bombing Iran again if necessary WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said on Friday he would consider bombing Iran again if Tehran was enriching uranium to a level that concerned the United States, and he backed inspections of Iran's bombed nuclear sites. "Sure, without question, absolutely," Trump said when asked about the possibility of new bombing of Iranian nuclear sites if deemed necessary at some point. At a White House news conference, Trump said he plans to respond soon to comments from Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei, who said Iran "slapped America in the face" by launching an attack against a major U.S. base in Qatar following last weekend's U.S. bombing raid. Trump also said he would like inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency or another respected source to be able to inspect Iran's nuclear sites after they were bombed last weekend. Trump said he believes the sites were "obliterated." He has rejected any suggestion that damage to the sites was not as profound as he has said. But Trump said he would support the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, going in to check the sites that were bombed. The agency's chief, Rafael Grossi, said on Wednesday that ensuring the resumption of IAEA inspections was his top priority as none had taken place since Israel began bombing on June 13. However, Iran's parliament approved moves on Wednesday to suspend such inspections. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi indicated on Friday that Tehran may reject any request by the head of the agency for visits to Iranian nuclear sites. Trump also said he does not believe Iran wants to still seek a nuclear weapon after U.S. and Israeli bombing raids. He said Iran still wants to meet about the way forward. The White House had said on Thursday that no meeting between the U.S. and an Iranian delegation has been scheduled thus far. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Araqchi signals Iran may block UN visits to bombed nuclear sites
FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqhchi looks on during a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, June 22, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/ File Photo DUBAI - Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi indicated on Friday that Tehran may reject any request by the head of UN nuclear watchdog the IAEA for visits to Iranian nuclear sites. "(IAEA head Rafael Grossi's) insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent," Araqchi wrote in a post on X. "Iran reserves the right to take any steps in defense of its interests, its people, and its sovereignty." The IAEA earlier said in a statement: "(Grossi) emphasised the need for IAEA inspectors to continue their verification activities in Iran, as required under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) with the Agency". Iran's parliament approved a bill on Wednesday to suspend cooperation with the IAEA. The move followed an air war with Israel in which Iran's longtime enemy said it wanted to prevent Tehran developing a nuclear weapon, which led to U.S. forces striking three Iranian nuclear sites. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
