5 Greek government officials resign over EU farming subsidy fraud allegations
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Five high-ranking Greek government officials, including a minister and three deputy ministers, resigned Friday following allegations of involvement in corruption over the mismanagement of European Union farming subsidies.
The case stems from the alleged mismanagement of EU subsidies for agriculture between 2019 and 2022 by a government agency, known by its Greek acronym OPEKEPE, tasked with handling the funds.
According to the European Public Prosecutor's Office, a 'significant number of individuals' received subsidies through the agency based on false declarations, including claims of owning or leasing pastures that were in fact public land. The suspects continued submitting false declarations of livestock until 2024, maintaining subsidy payment entitlement, it added.
The prosecutor's office sent a hefty case file to Greece's parliament earlier this week including allegations of the possible involvement of government ministers in an organized fraud scheme. Members of parliament enjoy immunity from prosecution in Greece that can only be lifted by parliamentary vote.
In a resignation letter to the prime minister Friday, Migration and Asylum Minister Makis Voridis maintained his innocence, saying he was stepping down in order to concentrate on clearing his name. Voridis served as agriculture minister from mid-2019 to early 2021.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accepted his resignation, as well as those of the deputy ministers of foreign affairs, agriculture and food, and digital governance, and of the general secretary of agriculture and food. Replacements for all five will be named 'in the coming days,' government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said in a statement.
The European Commission announced earlier this month it would reduce the amount of farm subsidies for Greece by 5%, for a total of 392 million euros.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
22 minutes ago
- CBS News
Trump says he's "terminating all discussions on trade with Canada, effective immediately"
Fed Chair testifies that tariffs could drive up inflation, which is why rates were held steady President Trump says he's "terminating all discussions on trade with Canada, effective immediately," after Canada announced a digital services tax on large foreign and domestic technology companies. Posting on Truth Social Friday afternoon, the president said the U.S. will let Canada know what their tariff rate will be in the next week. The trade talks blowup comes only a week after the president met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the Group of Seven economic summit in Alberta. "We have just been informed that Canada, a very difficult Country to TRADE with, including the fact that they have charged our Farmers as much as 400% Tariffs, for years, on Dairy Products, has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country," the president wrote. They are obviously copying the European Union, which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us, also. Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately." The post came shortly after Mr. Trump told reporters in a press conference at the White House that he will soon be sending letters to countries with whom trade talks aren't going well, and tell them what their tariff rate is. Canada is one of the United States' biggest trading partners. The U.S. has imposed tariffs on most imports from Canada, and Canada has hit back with tariffs on U.S. exports to Canada.
Associated Press
24 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Prosecutors in Jalisco, Mexico say they found 34 bodies in a mass grave
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Prosecutors in the western Mexican state of Jalisco said Friday that investigators have found at least 34 bodies in a mass grave discovered earlier this year. Human remains packed into 169 bags were discovered during excavations at a construction site in the city of Zapopan in February. Construction teams alerted authorities, who launched a forensic investigation. After months of work at the site, forensic experts reported identifying at least 17 bodies and continue working to identify additional victims and analyze the scene. The gruesome discovery has once again drawn attention to Jalisco, which in March became the center of controversy after collectives searching for missing people found human remains and hundreds of clothing items in a ranch once used by the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel for recruiting and training members. To date, some 15 people have been arrested in connection with the case, including the mayor of Teuchitlán, who was detained last month. The 'Rancho Izaguirre' case sent chills down the spines of many Mexicans, who for years have endured soaring levels of cartel violence and the forced disappearance of more than 125,000 people. Families searching for their missing loved ones say that discoveries of such sites underscore the depth of violence and impunity in violence-torn regions like Jalisco. The discovery of the mass grave in Zapopan prompted calls from victims' families and human rights advocates for authorities to better investigate the scene and funnel more resources into the search for missing people. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
Politico
26 minutes ago
- Politico
Trump says he's ‘terminating' all trade discussions with Canada
President Donald Trump said Friday he is 'terminating' all trade discussions with Canada, effective immediately, citing the country's digital services tax. 'We have just been informed that Canada, a very difficult Country to TRADE with … has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country,' Trump said in a Truth Social post. He accused the country of copying the European Union, 'which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us.' Based on the Digital Services Tax he wrote, the U.S. was 'hereby terminating ALL discussions' on trade with Canada. He added that he'd announce tariff levels on Canada within the next seven days. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Trump had previously agreed to secure a new economic and security deal by July 16, in which Canada was hoping Trump would lift tariffs on the country. Canada's Digital Services Tax, which imposes a 3 percent tax on large foreign and domestic digital companies that make over C$20 million in revenue, is expected to come into force on Saturday. The tax applies to certain Canadian profits that companies make from online advertising, social media, online marketplaces and the sale and licensing of user data. The prime minister's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. But earlier this week, a Canadian official told POLITICO two meetings were scheduled with U.S. officials to discuss a deal.
