Speaking clearly and with documented evidence from the podium of the Hellenic Parliament, Makarios Lazaridis — Member of Parliament for the Kavala constituency, New Democracy party, and former Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food — responded to allegations made against him. He categorically denied any unlawful conduct on his part and stressed that the matter concerns solely an administrative error committed by the relevant public service.
A matter of responsibility, not guilt
Regarding his resignation from the government, Lazaridis emphasized that it was a political act of responsibility — aimed at preventing any shadow over the government’s operation — and not an admission of guilt or acceptance of any illegal action.
Factual clarifications
Presenting the factual background in detail, he underscored the following key points:
- No forged degree, false documentation, or deception of the administration exists.
- The Ministry’s own administration — having full access to his complete personnel file — had classified him under the category of Secondary Education before 2007. The disputed error occurred later, during the drafting of a subsequent appointment act by the competent service, which incorrectly placed him in the category of “Specialist Scientist”.
- Payroll records confirm he received no additional euro beyond what he was legally entitled to under his proper, lawful classification. All related documents and evidence have been formally submitted to the parliamentary record.
“There is no forged degree. There is no false document. There is no deception of the administration. There is no financial benefit. There is no illegal act attributed to me,” he stated emphatically.
Lazaridis noted that the actual facts rule out any claim of intent or fraud against the administration, as all information regarding his qualifications and professional status had been known from the outset and officially recorded in his personnel file. “How could I possibly deceive the administration about details it already knew and maintained in my own file? How can there be talk of fraud when my actual qualifications were fully known and documented from day one?” he asked.
He dismissed as entirely unfounded claims of personal financial gain, pointing out that his salary never exceeded the amount corresponding to his lawful professional classification.
Criticism of political weaponization
Criticizing the opposition, Lazaridis argued that an administrative issue had been deliberately transformed into a political scandal without credible evidence. “They had no scandal — so they tried to fabricate one. They had no proof — so they substituted it with shouting. They had no facts — so they replaced them with mudslinging. Most disturbingly, they did not hesitate to target not only me but also my family, assuming that personal attacks could substitute for sound political argument,” he said.
He stressed that political debate is legitimate in a democracy — but distorting facts is not.