If anyone dared to measure political decay by the number of scandals and resignations of officials (both government and non-government) "on probation," the seven-year tenure of the Mitsotakis government would claim a spot in the Guinness World Records.
Forty-three officials have been shown the exit door, not out of sensitivity, not out of political decency, but because they were caught red-handed, shattering every previous record of the Metapolitefsi era since 1974.
The government that entered the political arena under the banner of supposed "excellence" and the "executive state" ended up operating as an insatiable system of power, where arrogance meets impunity and scandals succeed one another at machine-gun pace.
From fake degrees to party favors and European prosecutors
The merry-go-round of shame has no end, scarring every ministry and every sector of public life, with the scandals falling into six major categories:
From the earliest days with non-existent degrees and appointed cronies, to the mass exits of ministers and deputy ministers swept away by the storm of the European Public Prosecutor's Office over OPEKEPE agricultural subsidies.
Some left because they were caught handing out money and votes to favorites, others because the scandals of direct awards and tailor-made tenders became so shameless that not even the Maximos Mansion could sweep them under the rug anymore, and others because their cynical statements sparked the fury of an entire nation over the ashes of national tragedies.
The shamelessness of government propaganda
The most infuriating aspect of this endless carnival of corruption is not so much the number of forty-three resignations, but the way the government treats common sense. Every time a blue-party official is caught in the act, the communication machine of the Maximos Mansion stages the exact same wretched theater: they christen the ouster a "courteous resignation for personal reasons," shield their cronies from accountability, and, most importantly, keep them waiting on the bench to recycle them in the next cabinet reshuffle. Across the fifty years of the Metapolitefsi, politicians paid for their actions with permanent political oblivion.
Today, the arrogance of power has reached such a point that scandals are treated as mere "collateral damage" by an administration that views the country as its personal property and its citizens as natives with no memory.
The lists of shame... The scandals (at least 10 across 6 categories)
The tele-training programs scandal: "Scoel Elikikou" (2020)
One of the most characteristic cases of the first period of ND governance, concerning the management of public funds during a health crisis and the selection of program implementation mechanisms.
During the pandemic, the tele-training program for scientists, carrying a 600-euro subsidy, provoked intense backlash over the quality of the educational material and the involvement of private providers.
The government eventually abolished the tele-training program in that specific form.
The distance-learning contract with Cisco Webex (2020–2021)
The case concerns the Ministry of Education contract for remote learning.
It sparked controversy over the disclosure of contract terms (transparency), the cost, and the protection of personal data belonging to students and educators.
The Greek Computer Society expressed specific reservations regarding data management.
The Hellenic Data Protection Authority examined the legality of remote learning, distinguishing the legitimacy of its purpose from compliance obligations under the GDPR.
The wiretapping affair (Predator and EYP, 2022)
The revelations regarding the surveillance of political figures, journalists, and military officials, which led to parliamentary inquiry committees, resignations of Maximos Mansion officials, and judicial investigations.
The Tempi tragedy (2023)
The accusations by the opposition and victims' relatives regarding the condition of the railway network, as well as interventions at the crash site ("covering up/filling in" the ground), which led to preliminary parliamentary inquiry proceedings.
The trajectory of ERGOSE Contract 717, although linked to the Tempi tragedy, constitutes an independent subject of investigation.
It concerns the implementation of signaling and remote-control systems on the railway network, and although the history of the contract signed in 2014 spans more than one government term, the critical issue for ND's seven-year rule is what happened with its execution and completion after 2019.
The leak of expatriate voter data (Asimakopoulou case, 2024)
The dispatch of pre-election campaign material to Greeks abroad via a leak of personal data from the Ministry of the Interior, which resulted in fines from the Hellenic Data Protection Authority and the dismissal of officials.
In 2024, the Hellenic Data Protection Authority imposed a 400,000-euro fine on the Ministry of the Interior and a 40,000-euro fine on the then-MEP.
The OPEKEPE cases (since 2025)
The investigations by the European Public Prosecutor's Office into the management and disbursement of agricultural subsidies, which triggered successive resignations of ministers and deputy ministers.
Direct awards and public fund management (Petsas list, pandemic procurements, Recovery Fund)
Tenders and direct awards concluded during the pandemic health crisis and beyond, or utilizing European funds, contract amendments, the management and distribution of state advertising, allocation criteria, and media funding transparency.
Cases involving personnel and meritocracy
Allegations regarding appointments and revocable political appointees lacking qualifications, selection procedures, and potential conflicts of interest.
Individual cases involving academic degrees, appointments, incompatible professional activities (such as the Patsis and Cheimaras cases), or social dealings between government officials and businessmen.
The individuals...
2026
1. Lazaros Tsavdaridis (November 2026): Deputy Minister of Development. Resigned over the case involving athletic bonus admission points for his daughter.
2. Makarios Lazaridis (April 2026): Deputy Minister of Rural Development. Resigned over disputed academic qualifications and a past appointment.
3. Kostas Tsiaras (April 2026): Minister of Rural Development. Resigned due to the OPEKEPE case file.
4. Giannis Kefalogiannis (April 2026): Minister of Climate Crisis. Resigned due to the OPEKEPE case file.
5. Dimitris Vartzopoulos (April 2026): Deputy Minister of Health. Resigned due to OPEKEPE. His case was shelved.
6. Kostas Skrekas (April 2026): Secretary of ND. Resigned due to the OPEKEPE case file.
7. Notis Mitarakis (April 2026): Parliamentary Spokesperson of ND. Resigned due to OPEKEPE. Previously resigned as minister in July 2023 over vacationing amid wildfires.
8. Christos Kellas (April 2026): Deputy Minister of Rural Development. Departed in the cabinet reshuffle following the second OPEKEPE case file, without substantiated personal involvement.
2025
9. Andreas Karasarinis (June 2025): Secretary of Agricultural Bodies of ND. Resigned due to OPEKEPE.
10. Giannis Troullinos (June 2025): Member of the Political Committee of ND. Resigned due to OPEKEPE.
11. Makis Voridis (June 2025): Minister of Migration. Resigned due to OPEKEPE.
12. Tasos Chatzivasileiou (June 2025): Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Resigned due to OPEKEPE.
13. Dionysis Stamenitis (June 2025): Deputy Minister of Rural Development. Resigned due to OPEKEPE.
14. Christos Boukoros (June 2025): Deputy Minister of Digital Governance. Resigned due to OPEKEPE.
15. Giorgos Stratakos (June 2025): Secretary General of Rural Development. Resigned due to OPEKEPE.
16. Aristos Doxiadis (March 2025): Deputy Minister of Development. Resigned following revelations regarding a past cartel case.
17. Dimitris Kyriazidis (March 2025): ND MP. Expelled from the Parliamentary Group over an offensive remark directed at Konstantopoulou.
18. Christos Triantopoulos (March 2025): Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis. Resigned due to the investigation into the Tempi case.
19. Vasilis Papageorgiou (March 2025): Secretary General of Civil Protection. Resigned due to the investigation into the Tempi case.
20. Ioannis Sfyrakis (February 2025): Deputy Governor of the Asylum Service. Dismissed after the publication of a past bribery complaint.
2024
21. Lefteris Avgenakis (July 2024): ND MP. Expelled from the Parliamentary Group over an altercation with an airport employee.
22. Aristodimos Koromilas (June 2024): Organizational Secretary of ND. Resigned over the expatriate personal data affair.
23. Stavros Papastavrou (March 2024): Minister of State. Resigned following the revelation of a meeting with Vangelis Marinakis.
24. Giannis Bratakos (March 2024): Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister. Resigned over the same affair.
25. Michalis Tamilos (March 2024): Former ND MP. Expelled from the party over offensive remarks regarding Tempi.
26. Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou (March 2024): ND MEP. Withdrew candidacy due to the leak of expatriate personal data.
27. Michalis Stavrianoudakis (March 2024): Secretary General of the Ministry of the Interior. Resigned over the same affair.
28. Nikos Theodoropoulos (March 2024): Secretary for Expatriates of ND. Dismissed over the same affair.
2023
29. Miltiadis Varvitsiotis (September 2023): Minister of Shipping. Resigned following the death of Antonis Kargiotis and his remarks.
30. Giorgos Patoulis (July 2023): Governor of Attica. Lost ND backing after dancing a zeibekiko amid wildfires.
31. Mustafa Katrantzi (June 2023): ND parliamentary candidate. Withdrew candidacy following allegations of ties to the Turkish consulate.
32. Spyros Pnevmatikos (June 2023): ND parliamentary candidate. Withdrew following remarks regarding the triage of cancer patients.
33. Sofia Nikolaou (March 2023): Former Secretary General for Anti-Crime Policy. Excluded from party ballots following allegations over direct contract awards.
34. Kostas Ach. Karamanlis (March 2023): Minister of Infrastructure and Transport. Resigned following the Tempi rail disaster.
35. Themis Cheimaras (January 2023): ND MP. Resigned due to incompatible business activities.
2022
36. Giannis Smyrlis (December 2022): Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Resigned amid revelations regarding Predator export licenses.
37. Maria Spyraki (December 2022): ND MEP. Suspended from party membership following an investigation into an associate's allowance.
38. Andreas Patsis (October 2022): ND MP. Expelled over non-performing loan companies and public contracts.
39. Panagiotis Kontoleon (August 2022): Director of EYP. Resigned following revelations regarding the surveillance of Androulakis.
40. Grigoris Dimitriadis (August 2022): Secretary General to the Prime Minister. Resigned amid revelations regarding the wiretapping scandal.
41. Spilios Livanos (February 2022): Minister of Rural Development. Dismissed following the video regarding wildfire compensation payouts.
42. Petros Doukas (February 2022): Mayor of Sparta, former ND Deputy Minister. Expelled over remarks regarding the electoral exploitation of compensation payouts.
2019
43. Antonis Diamataris (December 2019): Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Resigned due to an inaccurate resume and a non-existent Columbia master's degree.
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