Former Minister of Rural Development and Food, Spilios Livanos, took a clear stance against the opposition’s allegations, presenting the real facts of his tenure.

“The real scandal in OPEKEPE is the perennial subsidy-eating, i.e. the exploitation of the system’s weaknesses by the manipulators at the expense of real farmers and livestock farmers,” said the former Minister of Rural Development and Food Spilios Livanos, during the debate in the plenary session of the proposal to set up a preliminary investigation committee.

As he stressed, during his tenure at the Ministry of Rural Development a clear political direction was followed: more controls, recovery of unduly paid amounts, transparency, cross-checks and efforts to strengthen the institutional armour of OPEKEPE.

“More than 70 million euros were returned by fraudsters who had received aid to which they were not entitled. This is the real measure of my mandate,” he said.

The former minister noted that the proposal of opposition attempts to give him managerial responsibility for individual producer payments, while the Minister of Rural Development has political oversight and not the authority to approve individual payments or manage individual files.

Referring to the cases of telephonic connections, Mr. Livanos stressed that there was no conversation, suggestion or knowledge of his own about these communications.

He also said that there was no illegality or irregularity by his office staff, as these cases involved real farmers and ranchers, with real production, real fields and animals, and attempts to resolve administrative, formal or bureaucratic issues within the framework of legality. In all cases the European Public Prosecutor’s Office does not record the slightest damage, the former minister noted

“The citizen has the right to ask the state for an answer. The actual producer has the right to ask for a fair examination. The clear line is one: institutional help within the rules, never an exception to the rules,” he said.

The bottom line is how real producers will be protected in the future

Mr. Livanos stressed that the Parliament should focus on the essence of the case, namely who exploited the system, who took money they were not entitled to, what loopholes were exploited and how real producers will be protected in the future.

“It would be an institutional and legal mistake to accept the proposals for the establishment of Pre-Investigation Commission. I am not shying away from scrutiny. On the contrary. We must, at last, separate the institutional transmission of a case from its political instrumentalisation. I am afraid that the motions of impeachment filed against me, in the context of a peculiar oppositional bidding, have lost the basic objectivity and fairness that would be required of them in the exercise of judicial, in this case, and not political duties. If this had not happened, I am sure they would have discerned the absolutely, in my opinion the obvious,” he said, and among those obvious things he included that “there is no legal basis for the proposal against him”, that “there is not the slightest suggestion of financial harm” and that the cases cited “relate to real farmers/ranchers, with real fields and animals. They concern sincere efforts to resolve formal and bureaucratic obstacles and/or obvious errors, always within the framework of legality”.

“The political life of the country will win when it focuses on the major issues. On the consolidation of institutions. On supporting honest producers. In the protection of European resources. Transparency. On accountability. In the trust of citizens in the state,” the former Minister of Rural Development and Food noted.

We fought to address the chronic pathogenesis in OPEKEPE

“Together with my colleagues, we fought to address the chronic pathogenesis in OPEKEPE, seeking to protect both honest producers and the Community fund. I received threats at the time – against me and my family. I saw my face on bounty posters and funeral posters. I faced attacks from all political factions. Why did I suffer all this? Precisely because I clashed with the gangs, the mafias and the real criminal organisations that you today, ladies and gentlemen, accuse me of being part of. Does that make sense to you?”

The former minister said, addressing the parliamentary benches.

Reflecting on his tenure, Mr. Livanos said:

– He introduced disincentives and penalties for offences, while increasing the intensity and effectiveness of controls.

– He initiated the transfer of OPEKEPE’s data to gov.gr for transparency, a policy continued by his successor George Georgantas.

– He proposed to the EU the separation of OPEKEPE from the Ministry of Agriculture and the transformation of OPEKEPE into an Independent Authority.

– He continued the policy of completing the compilation of pasture maps, which was rightly initiated by his predecessor Makis Voridis.

– He sought to set meritocratic rules for hiring technical consultants.

“Perhaps I should have done even more in this direction in the mere 13 months that I have been minister. But what frankly saddens me is that some members of the Greek Parliament signed this indictment against me. You have uncritically turned a referral into a political prosecution. I am not shocked by the injustice. I am, however, very saddened by the frame-up, the distortion of the truth and the disorientation of our political system from the major to the minor, the insignificant and, above all, the insubstantial, Spilios Livanos said and called on MPs to reject the two motions against him, PASOK, SYRIZA and the New Left to withdraw the indictment and acknowledge that he was part of the solution and not part of the problem at OPEKEPE.

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