A fierce political clash took place today in the Greek Parliament between PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis and Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis over the OPEKEPE scandal. The confrontation quickly escalated into a heated exchange of accusations, revealing deep tensions between the two political figures and their respective parties.
Androulakis launched a direct attack on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, his government, and the ruling party New Democracy (ND). He announced that PASOK will submit a motion for the establishment of a pre-investigation committee regarding OPEKEPE and called on all opposition parties to co-sign it. Emphasizing the need for transparency and constitutional respect, he stated, ‘We invite all parties to vote on this without gamesmanship, with respect for the Constitution, through normal procedures, not fast-track manipulations like one day wearing Triantopoulos’s suit and another Karamanlis’s.’
He added, ‘We will file a pre-investigation based entirely on the European Public Prosecutor’s Office dossier against ND ministers.’
In response, Georgiadis fired back, accusing PASOK of hypocrisy. ‘Do you really think anyone believes PASOK when it talks about corruption? Remember Cladi and how an entire island was painted green,’ he said, referencing past scandals involving PASOK. He also pointed out that fines related to agricultural subsidies during PASOK’s governance from 1998–2004 amounted to €862 million, while total fines since 1996 have reached €2.7 billion.
The debate turned increasingly personal when Georgiadis questioned Androulakis directly: ‘Have you learned anything since becoming PASOK’s leader? Did your parliamentary representative responsible for agricultural issues, Mr. Chnaras, understand nothing about all this?’ He continued, ‘Coming here pretending to be innocent doves crosses the line of audacity. Do you expect us to believe PASOK is now the party of purity and honesty?’
Androulakis struck back, accusing Georgiadis of opportunism: ‘The people may laugh at someone who once claimed ND was the most corrupt party and then became its vice president — that’s the unreliable Mr. Georgiadis, whose photo should be next to the word ‘unreliable’ in the dictionary.’ He likened him to a Jimmy Jump of domestic politics — a reference to a notorious pitch invader known for sudden appearances.
Georgiadis retorted by pointing out his political survival despite criticism: ‘Thousands have said the same about me joining ND, but today they watch Parliament from outside while I remain inside. Worse for you, I joined the government because when George Papandreou brought the first Memorandum in 2012, I voted for it. When I voted for Venizelos’s PSI, it was PASOK that proposed me as minister in Papadimos’s government.’
Androulakis accused Georgiadis of being a ‘rat jumping from boat to boat,’ implying he switches allegiances whenever political waters get rough. Georgiadis responded sharply, noting that Androulakis had the nerve to call him a rat while sitting beside Syriza defector Thersia Thraskia, suggesting that if he were a rat, so too was she — and questioning PASOK’s integrity.
This fiery exchange underscores the ongoing volatility within Greece’s political landscape, where historical grievances, shifting loyalties, and accusations of corruption continue to dominate parliamentary discourse.