Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is proceeding with a government reshuffle following the OPEKEPE case files sent to Parliament. In the reshuffle, to be announced at 12:30 p.m., Margaritis Schinas, Makarios Lazaridis and Vangelis Tournas will enter the government.

Earlier, according to reports, the Minister of Civil Protection Giannis Kefalogiannis, the Minister of Rural Development Kostas Tsiaras, and Deputy Minister of Health Dimitris Vartzopoulos submitted their resignations, as their names are included in one of the two case files sent to Parliament regarding the OPEKEPE affair. Christos Kellas is also being removed.

According to the same information, there was communication between the Prime Minister’s office and Kefalogiannis, Tsiaras and Vartzopoulos.

ND Secretary Kostas Skrekas is also in an extremely difficult position, and it is considered a matter of hours before he resigns from his party role.

Beyond that, it is considered certain that Mitsotakis may proceed with more drastic moves, including the “removal” of MPs involved in more serious conversations and facing felony charges. According to information, such decisions will follow the government reshuffle but are unlikely to be delayed beyond Holy Monday.

At the center of these developments are former minister Kostas Ach. Karamanlis and former deputy minister Katerina Papakosta. It remains to be seen whether Mitsotakis will proceed with expulsions or whether MPs will be asked behind the scenes to step down and surrender their seats. It is believed that anyone who leaves now will find it difficult to be included in future ND electoral lists unless their legal cases are fully resolved.

What is mentioned in the case files

According to reports, the file accompanying the request to lift Giannis Kefalogiannis’ immunity does not include his own conversations but those of a close associate, who communicates with then OPEKEPE president Dimitris Melas. The associate is said to request favors for individuals who are currently in pre-trial detention.

A close associate of Kostas Tsiaras, although aware that his request to the OPEKEPE president was not lawful, reportedly insisted, noting it concerned someone close to him. At the time, Tsiaras was serving as Minister of Justice.

According to information, Dimitris Vartzopoulos sent a message to a senior OPEKEPE official regarding a citizen’s case from his constituency, saying “Take a look if you can.”

In the case of Kostas Skrekas, there is a direct conversation with Melas in which the MP is informed that his request is irregular and that the electronic submission system had closed after the deadline. Nevertheless, he insists on being accommodated. Melas reportedly says he will bypass the system and handle it manually, with Skrekas praising him. He then instructs a subordinate to proceed, noting that the request must be fulfilled as they had also asked Skrekas for another “favor.”