Three Greek ministers resigned on Friday amid a European investigation into alleged EU farm subsidy fraud, a political shake-up that lawmakers and farmers said is worsening already strained conditions.
Agriculture Minister Kostas Tsiaras, Civil Protection Minister Yiannis Kefalogiannis and Deputy Health Minister Dimitris Vartzopoulos all stepped down, the Associated Press reported, as investigators pursued a case involving alleged misuse of EU agricultural funds. All three denied wrongdoing and said their resignations were intended to help move the inquiry forward, AP reported.
The investigation is being led by the European chief prosecutor, Laura Codruta Kovesi, who visited Athens for talks with government officials last year, AP reported. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is seeking immunity waivers for 11 lawmakers, a process that the report said has fueled anger in Greece and raised concerns within the farming sector.
According to AP, the alleged fraud centers on a Greek state agency that investigators say failed to prevent the misuse of EU funds. Investigators allege the misuse occurred through false claims for land and livestock, which investigators say allowed payments to be obtained improperly under the EU farm subsidy system.
The resignations marked a second wave of departures linked to the scandal, AP said. The report described the current resignations as following earlier resignations by five senior officials who quit last year amid the same broader investigation.
In response to the resignations, Greece’s center-right government moved quickly to reshuffle the cabinet, AP reported. The report said it appointed former European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas as agriculture minister.
The case comes as farming communities face mounting strain linked to subsidy delays that AP said have been connected to the investigation. The dispute has triggered weeks of protests, including tractor demonstrations in Athens and central Greece earlier this year, the report said.