Clarifications on a case involving OPEKEPE are given in a statement by the Lesvos MP Charalampos Athanasiou, noting that the file to which he refers “has nothing to do with the investigation of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office for the OPEKEPE”.

As he says, he had asked the president of OPEKEPE to correct the reduced rating of a farmer from his region, which – as he notes – was due to the negligence of her researcher, who filled in the form in the wrong category.

However, as he clarifies, the correction could not be made as the relevant programme had been closed in the meantime. He stresses that he did not ask for an illegal act to be done, but “to redress an injustice.”

At the same time, he asks, “What violation did the president of the OPEKEPE commit and what is my moral instigation, in a non-existent violation?” noting that this is what is attributed to him.

In conclusion, he states that he will continue to act in the same way, “with responsibility and consistency”, seeking to correct errors due to oversight or negligence of competent bodies, while recommending greater flexibility from the services, noting that many farmers and ranchers are not familiar with the completion and control of the relevant documentation, resulting in the loss of benefits to which they are entitled.

The statement of Charalambos Athanasiou

“First of all, I want to stress that the file, to which I refer, has nothing to do with the investigation of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office on OPEKEPE.

But let’s see what I have done.

I have asked the President of the OPEKEPE to correct the reduced rating of an interested farmer in our region, which is due to the negligence of her planner ,who filled in the relevant programme form in the wrong category.

The correction could not be made because the relevant programme had been closed in the meantime. I did not ask the President to commit an illegal act, but to rectify an injustice.

Therefore, I wonder what violation the President of the OPEKEPE has committed and what is my moral instigation, in a non-existent violation.

This is what is attributed to me. This is what I did, and I did not do it for the first time. And I state unequivocally that this is what I will continue to do tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and continuously, as long as I serve, responsibly and consistently, this place and its people, when it is required to correct errors of oversight or negligence of competent bodies.

And I recommend being more flexible services to understand that many of our livestock farmers and farmers are not familiar with the completion and control of the relevant documentation, resulting in the loss of benefits to which they are legally entitled “.