Kostas Skrekas #

Introduction #

Kostas Skrekas is a Greek politician who served as a member of parliament for the ruling New Democracy party and as the party’s secretary, after earlier spells as a government minister responsible for Development and, separately, for Environment and Energy. On 3 April 2026 he resigned the party secretaryship after his name was included in a European prosecutors’ investigation into a farm subsidies scandal, and on 16 July 2026 the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) announced that it had filed a criminal charge against him for a misdemeanor in connection with the same case. He denies wrongdoing and has called for an immediate trial. The allegations remain unproven: he has been charged but not tried, and he is presumed innocent.

Background Information #

Skrekas built his career inside New Democracy, holding senior posts in both government and the party machine. He served as a minister in the Mitsotakis governments, with portfolios covering Development and later Environment and Energy, making him one of the most senior figures in the administration before he took over as secretary of the ruling party.

The controversy centers on OPEKEPE, the Organization for the Management of Agricultural Insurance and Subsidies — the now-defunct state agency that handled European Union agricultural funds. The scandal hinges on alleged fraud in payments made by the agency, and the EPPO probe examines alleged irregularities in the agricultural subsidy payments it administered. Investigation files naming eleven New Democracy lawmakers, including Skrekas, were forwarded to the Greek Parliament, which had to decide whether to lift their immunity from prosecution.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

Allegations. The claims in this section are allegations from a European Public Prosecutor’s Office investigation, which referred Skrekas for misdemeanor charges in the OPEKEPE case. They were never admitted by Skrekas, never tested at trial, and no court has adjudicated them. Skrekas denies all of them, denies any involvement in fictitious farming or unlawful subsidy claims, and says he has absolute trust in the Greek justice system and wants an immediate trial.

The trigger for Skrekas’s departure from the party leadership came on Friday, 3 April 2026. That morning, Kathimerini reported that Rural Development Minister Kostas Tsiaras, Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis and Deputy Health Minister Dimitris Vartzopoulos had resigned after being named in the investigation into the farm subsidies scandal that also named the governing New Democracy party’s secretary, Kostas Skrekas. Later that day, Skrekas resigned as party secretary, and his duties were assumed by Stelios Kontadakis, the party’s secretary for Organizational Affairs, until the New Democracy congress. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reshuffled his cabinet the same day following the ministerial resignations.

The resignation did not end Skrekas’s legal exposure. The investigation files naming the eleven lawmakers were forwarded to Parliament that same Friday, leaving the House to rule on whether their immunity from prosecution should be lifted.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The cabinet overhaul was sweeping. Notis Mitarakis stepped down as New Democracy’s parliamentary spokesperson alongside Skrekas’s resignation, and former European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas was appointed to head the rural development ministry, with official sources presenting the changes as part of a wider strategic reorganization of agricultural policy. Evanghelos Tournas was assigned to the civil protection ministry.

The affair escalated on 16 July 2026, when the EPPO announced that it had filed a criminal charge against Skrekas for a misdemeanor related to the OPEKEPE investigation, making him one of four sitting New Democracy MPs charged, alongside Katerina Papakosta, Christos Boukouros and Maximos Senetakos. In a public statement, Skrekas expressed full confidence in the Greek judiciary and stressed the need for swift proceedings: “As I have stated from the very beginning, I have absolute trust in the Greek justice system and I call for the immediate adjudication of this case, so that the full truth is restored and no shadow remains.”

He categorically denied any involvement in fictitious farming or unlawful receipt of agricultural subsidies, saying: “This case involves an actual farmer with real output — not phantom cultivation, not sham activity, and not illegal receipt of subsidies.” He added: “I am certain the judicial proceedings will reveal the true scope of this case, shed light on all actual events, and fully restore the truth.”

The indictments deepened Greece’s political divide. The government maintained that officials and lawmakers had been unfairly accused and blamed the opposition for publicly targeting them, while opposition parties argued the government could not dismiss criticism while four lawmakers still faced referral. In a televised exchange, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis described the case, which concerned possible involvement in the misuse of €13,000 in European funds, as “much ado about nothing,” to which PASOK spokesman Kostas Tsoukalas replied: “You are celebrating because it is not 11, but four are being referred.” The European Commission voiced full support for the EPPO, with Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath stressing its independence and member-states’ obligation to cooperate with its work.

Current Status #

Skrekas remains a sitting New Democracy MP, but he faces a misdemeanor charge filed by the EPPO in the OPEKEPE case. The charge has not led to a trial, let alone a verdict, and no finding of guilt has been made against him. He continues to deny any involvement in fictitious farming or unlawful subsidy claims and is pressing for the case to be adjudicated without delay.

Meanwhile, the EPPO referred the four lawmakers for misdemeanor charges and closed files involving seven other New Democracy politicians, narrowing the number of parliamentarians still facing referral in the affair.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The OPEKEPE affair cost Skrekas one of the most influential positions in Greek politics: the secretaryship of the governing party, a post that placed him at the center of New Democracy’s organization. The same investigation prompted the resignation of three ministers and forced a cabinet reshuffle within days, with a former European Commission vice-president brought in to lead agricultural policy.

Although he remains in parliament, his standing shifted from senior party operative and former minister to parliamentarian facing criminal charges — an unresolved legal status that keeps the allegations, which he denies, attached to his public profile. He has said he awaits the judicial process with confidence that it will reveal the true scope of the case and restore the truth.