Former OPEKEPE President Dimitris Melas denied all charges against him—including document concealment, obstruction of justice, and breach of duty—during his court testimony. He described the allegations as a deliberate ‘character assassination’ and asserted that his name had never before been linked to any criminal investigation, even as a suspect.
‘A Political Instrument from Day One’
Melas, a former New Democracy MP, emphasized that the Organization for Agricultural Insurance and Subsidies (OPEKEPE) had always functioned as a political instrument under the Ministry of Rural Development. ‘Every minister competed with their predecessor over who would issue payments one day earlier—to then go public with the announcement,’ he stated. He added that no minister would risk withholding advance payments, a practice institutionalized since 2016, given the immense political cost involved.
A ‘Titanic’ System Requiring Careful Navigation
Melas likened OPEKEPE not to a small craft but to a ‘supertanker’—a complex system demanding careful, sequential decision-making. ‘You can’t turn the ship overnight; it requires a precise sequence of actions to steer it safely,’ he explained, defending his leadership during his tenure as president from March 2021 to July 2022.
He stressed that he remained in office until the final day of the application period, choosing to step down only when the process was complete and the organization’s operations were stable. ‘At any other time, I would have considered myself irresponsible,’ he said.
Melas also categorically denied accusations that he suppressed a file containing 41 red-flagged VAT numbers (AFM) of farmers—an issue first flagged by auditor Paraskevi Tycheropoulou. He further rejected claims of bribery or attempts to influence staff, noting that no OPEKEPE employee had ever accused him of corruption or soliciting bribes.
In addition to this case, Melas is under investigation by European prosecutors over alleged client relationships and interventions to facilitate specific AFM registrations—a probe that includes 11 New Democracy MPs.