The blow came with the emergence of a document showing that Mr Voridis had signed not only in 2019 but also in 2020 the allocation of pasturelands by OPEKEPE
Both Makis Voridis and the Neuropublic group now appear to be in a state of desperation following the latest developments and testimonies before the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry.
Voridis seems to have been hit from an unexpected direction after the testimony before the Committee of the former President of OPEKEPE, now a New Democracy MP and one of the Prime Minister’s close associates, Mr Fanis Pappas.
The crucial document
The submission of the document to the committee indicated that Mr Voridis approved the pastureland allocation again in 2020.
In practice, this means that the issue cannot be considered time-barred, effectively overturning earlier legal interpretations.
Varras’s allegations
At the same time, another former OPEKEPE President, Grigoris Varras, told the committee that a ministerial joint decision (KYA) cannot be modified through a circular — implicitly raising questions of legality regarding actions taken during Mr Voridis’s tenure. He also stated that his removal from the agency was connected to decisions favouring Neuropublic.
Mr Varras further claimed that Mr Voridis had intervened “to the point of dereliction of duty” in the 2020 tender process for a new technical advisor and that he had received personal warnings — including alleged threats — when he sought to reform the consultancy framework.
He linked his dismissal to audits into “suspicious” taxpayer IDs and to what he described as his intention to “cut off irregularities.”
Signs of frustration from Voridis
Reactions attributed to Mr Voridis suggest growing frustration, as he reportedly senses diminishing political support from the Prime Minister’s office (the Maximos Mansion). This impression was reinforced when MP Giorgos Mylonakis submitted to Parliament a note from Mr Varras - a WhatsApp message lacking official status and which arguably might not have been admissible at all.
In his first public response, Mr Voridis defended the “technical solution” as fully lawful.
Later, speaking to the television network Open, he criticised Mr Varras for not taking his concerns to the prosecutor’s office despite claiming to have identified irregularities.
Mr Voridis also questioned why the consultancy contract had not been reported or annulled
— though correspondence between Mr Varras and then-Vice President Dimitris Melas appears to refer to interventions in the 2020 tender process, which ultimately went to Neuropublic.
Associates of Mr Voridis have meanwhile wondered why Mr Varras remains in a position at the Maximos Mansion, implying that the Prime Minister should dismiss him — a move that has not occurred.
Mr Voridis himself has commented only that such appointments are “a matter for the Prime Minister’s office,” while noting that in 2020 he had been consulted and did not object to Mr Varras’s later appointment as an adviser to the Prime Minister following his resignation from OPEKEPE.
Continuing disclosures
During Mr Varras’s testimony, the website Ypaithros Chora — linked to the Gargalakos family, which controls Neuropublic — published a story suggesting that Mr Varras was compromised by conflicting interests.
However, closer examination of the report’s details reportedly shows that its substance was limited.
This is not the first time the outlet has criticised Mr Varras; he has included a series of such articles in the memorandum he submitted to the committee.
One earlier commentary, published at the time of his dismissal by Mr Voridis, was titled “Goodnight, Mr Varras,” a phrase widely interpreted as reflecting deep hostility.
Testimony of Ms Reppa
Meanwhile, the position of Mr Voridis appears further complicated by testimony from former Director of Technical Audits Ms Reppa — who is facing charges of document concealment, dereliction of duty, and aiding an offender — alongside former OPEKEPE Vice President Dimitris Melas, who served during Mr Varras’s presidency. Ms Reppa acknowledged that after 2019, a single regional unit had absorbed 68 percent of the National Reserve subsidies, without any internal investigation being requested.
Ms Reppa acknowledged that after 2019, a single regional unit had absorbed 68 percent of the National Reserve subsidies, without any internal investigation being requested.
What drew the most attention, however, was her statement that if an employee named Tycheropoulou had followed the initial, limited instructions for an audit, the fraud would never have been uncovered.
In other words, the audit was meant to be superficial — but was carried out thoroughly.
Observers have noted that Ms Tycheropoulou now faces prosecution under Justice Minister Tsiaras, and has been criticised by government figures —
apparently, as some comment, for doing her job too well.
www.bankingnews.gr
Voridis seems to have been hit from an unexpected direction after the testimony before the Committee of the former President of OPEKEPE, now a New Democracy MP and one of the Prime Minister’s close associates, Mr Fanis Pappas.
The crucial document
The submission of the document to the committee indicated that Mr Voridis approved the pastureland allocation again in 2020.
In practice, this means that the issue cannot be considered time-barred, effectively overturning earlier legal interpretations.
Varras’s allegations
At the same time, another former OPEKEPE President, Grigoris Varras, told the committee that a ministerial joint decision (KYA) cannot be modified through a circular — implicitly raising questions of legality regarding actions taken during Mr Voridis’s tenure. He also stated that his removal from the agency was connected to decisions favouring Neuropublic.
Mr Varras further claimed that Mr Voridis had intervened “to the point of dereliction of duty” in the 2020 tender process for a new technical advisor and that he had received personal warnings — including alleged threats — when he sought to reform the consultancy framework.
He linked his dismissal to audits into “suspicious” taxpayer IDs and to what he described as his intention to “cut off irregularities.”
Signs of frustration from Voridis
Reactions attributed to Mr Voridis suggest growing frustration, as he reportedly senses diminishing political support from the Prime Minister’s office (the Maximos Mansion). This impression was reinforced when MP Giorgos Mylonakis submitted to Parliament a note from Mr Varras - a WhatsApp message lacking official status and which arguably might not have been admissible at all.
In his first public response, Mr Voridis defended the “technical solution” as fully lawful.
Later, speaking to the television network Open, he criticised Mr Varras for not taking his concerns to the prosecutor’s office despite claiming to have identified irregularities.
Mr Voridis also questioned why the consultancy contract had not been reported or annulled
— though correspondence between Mr Varras and then-Vice President Dimitris Melas appears to refer to interventions in the 2020 tender process, which ultimately went to Neuropublic.
Associates of Mr Voridis have meanwhile wondered why Mr Varras remains in a position at the Maximos Mansion, implying that the Prime Minister should dismiss him — a move that has not occurred.
Mr Voridis himself has commented only that such appointments are “a matter for the Prime Minister’s office,” while noting that in 2020 he had been consulted and did not object to Mr Varras’s later appointment as an adviser to the Prime Minister following his resignation from OPEKEPE.
Continuing disclosures
During Mr Varras’s testimony, the website Ypaithros Chora — linked to the Gargalakos family, which controls Neuropublic — published a story suggesting that Mr Varras was compromised by conflicting interests.
However, closer examination of the report’s details reportedly shows that its substance was limited.
This is not the first time the outlet has criticised Mr Varras; he has included a series of such articles in the memorandum he submitted to the committee.
One earlier commentary, published at the time of his dismissal by Mr Voridis, was titled “Goodnight, Mr Varras,” a phrase widely interpreted as reflecting deep hostility.
Testimony of Ms Reppa
Meanwhile, the position of Mr Voridis appears further complicated by testimony from former Director of Technical Audits Ms Reppa — who is facing charges of document concealment, dereliction of duty, and aiding an offender — alongside former OPEKEPE Vice President Dimitris Melas, who served during Mr Varras’s presidency. Ms Reppa acknowledged that after 2019, a single regional unit had absorbed 68 percent of the National Reserve subsidies, without any internal investigation being requested.
Ms Reppa acknowledged that after 2019, a single regional unit had absorbed 68 percent of the National Reserve subsidies, without any internal investigation being requested.
What drew the most attention, however, was her statement that if an employee named Tycheropoulou had followed the initial, limited instructions for an audit, the fraud would never have been uncovered.
In other words, the audit was meant to be superficial — but was carried out thoroughly.
Observers have noted that Ms Tycheropoulou now faces prosecution under Justice Minister Tsiaras, and has been criticised by government figures —
apparently, as some comment, for doing her job too well.
www.bankingnews.gr
Σχόλια αναγνωστών