Former OPEKEPE chief Dimitris Melas denies charges in Athens court

Former OPEKEPE president Dimitris Melas and former director of Immediate Support and Technical Projects Athanasia Reppa appeared before the Athens Tricameral Misdemeanor Court and denied all accusations. They were charged with illegal export of documents, aiding a criminal, and joint duty violations linked to an audit of the National Reserve of agricultural subsidies.

Melas argued that his tenure was marked by “over‑intensive checks” carried out despite staff shortages and that he acted within the limits of his authority. He rejected claims of creating “fences” inside the agency and said the documents in question were searchable in the organization’s electronic system. He also described the media coverage as a “character assassination” and a “plot to murder his reputation.”

Reppa testified that, from 2018, the agency faced a surge in large‑scale land holdings and that she had recommended checks of the 2017 national stock. She said the report by auditor Paraskevi Ticheropoulou, which highlighted serious irregularities, was forwarded to the relevant department, but the lack of clear directives and missing risk analyses left room for discretionary treatment.

Both defendants maintain they complied with legal procedures and that any alleged irregularities were handled according to internal protocols.