By Yannis Anifantis

A cycle of terrorism and fear within OPEKEPE was denounced by the former Head of the Organization’s Immediate Support and Purchase Directorate, Paraskevi Tycheropoulou, during her testimony to the parliamentary inquiry committee, claiming that the lives of employees in the Organization have been threatened.

“I tried to speak within the work and the organization when there were threats to my life, when I came out, where should I say them? Mr. Kaliouri’s life was threatened by one of those involved in the fraud. The organization is covered by fear”, he said initially, attacking the former president of the Organization, Kyriakos Babasides, but also Giorgos Xylouris (s.s. “Frapes”).

“I was afraid of the Babasidis administration as a whole and Mr. Xylouris. Because he had gotten to the point of finding my home landline number and called and asked for me and talked to my children. For me it’s not just them. And in the accounting department there were fears in the bad debts”, emphasized Mrs. Tycheropoulou.

Ms. Tycheropoulou stated that in June ’23 she received “unbearable pressure” for the reserved VAT numbers.

“That’s when Xylouris started visiting the Organization”, as he said and spoke of an attempt by Kyriakos Babasidis to have the frozen Tax IDs of the Xylouris family paid, even though they had not provided supporting documents.

“Then I sent a note in which I said that the TINs in question have findings and they were well committed and the control process must continue. I had to swallow this note to get Xylouris paid. Babasidis referred Xylouris to me, who took me and pressured me to withdraw it to be paid. After that, the TINs were paid only with livestock,” he testified.

Referring to whether the political leadership was aware of the nightmarish – as he described it – environment in the Organization, he emphasized: “Mr. Georgantas knew for sure. He had read my reports.

He wanted to cleanse the body. And Mr. Avgenakis, who succeeded him, knew it. I had seen him once with the management. He said he doesn’t know me and doesn’t want to know me either. He had just taken over and was trying to see what he would do in the ministry.”

What happened to the famous “closet”

However, her reference was extensive to the famous closet on the 5th floor, for which the then President of the Organization Kyriakos Babasidis had said that he was forced to open it with a chainsaw – in the presence of a bailiff – as Ms. Tycheropoulou had refused to hand over its contents, complaining of an attempt to smear her name. “I find my things locked up with a huge padlock.

Not me. The administration and its accomplices had done it. I refused to hand it over and submit to this humiliating process they wanted to subject me to. It was just my personal stuff and my personal business. Nothing for internal control”, he underlined. He even left clear hints that the closet was open at least an hour before the bailiff arrived at the Agency.