European Prosecutors Target 18 Greek Ruling Party Figures in Agricultural Subsidies Fraud Case

The European Public Prosecutor's Office has sent 3 abstracted lawsuit files to Athens naming 18 existent and erstwhile members of parliament and ministers from the ruling New Democracy enactment successful transportation with a fraud probe into Greece's cultivation payments bureau OPEKEPE, triggering expectations of imminent furniture reshuffles and parliamentary immunity proceedings.

The archetypal lawsuit file, submitted nether Greece's ministerial accountability law, names erstwhile Agriculture Minister Spilios Livanos and erstwhile Deputy Agriculture Minister Fotini Arampatzi for their actions successful 2021.

That record volition beryllium forwarded straight to parliament without anterior evaluation.

The 2nd and astir politically charged record requests the lifting of parliamentary immunity for eleven sitting lawmakers. Those named are Maximos Senetakis, Vasilis Vasiliadis, Giannis Kefalogiannis, Notis Mitarakis, Katerina Papakosta, Kostas Karamanlis, Christos Boukoros, Theophilos Leontaridis, Kostas Tsiara, Kostas Skrekas and Dimitris Vartzópoulos.

They look probe for allegedly instigating unlawful acts by OPEKEPE officials done telephone interventions. A 3rd record covers 5 erstwhile lawmakers, who necessitate nary immunity waiver and volition proceed straight done the courts.

Charges nether probe see fraud, breach of spot and dereliction of duty, immoderate astatine felony level and others arsenic misdemeanors. Legal sources warned that misdemeanor charges relating to acts committed successful 2020-21 hazard expiring wrong 2026 unless proceedings beforehand rapidly capable to widen the statute of limitations by 3 years.

Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis described the improvement arsenic serious, saying each lawsuit would beryllium evaluated individually erstwhile the files scope parliament, expected by Thursday oregon Friday astatine the latest.

The lawsuit echoes an earlier OPEKEPE record that forced then-Migration Minister Makis Voridis and 3 lawman ministers — Tasos Chatzivasileiou, Mr. Boukoros and Dionysis Stamenitis — to resign. Sources adjacent to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the aforesaid precedent was apt to use to those present implicated.