Files on two more ND MPs named in subsidy scandal sent to Parliament

New files from an probe by European prosecutors into a large workplace subsidy ungraded were forwarded to Parliament Tuesday, with the question of stripping two sitting lawmakers with the governing New Democracy enactment of their immunity from prosecution.

The probe focuses connected alleged payments to cronies, sometimes based connected fraudulent claims, by the now-defunct OPEKEPE state bureau that disbursed European Union workplace subsidies. The ungraded has shaken Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ government, forcing the resignations of Cabinet members and damaging ND’s canvass standing.

Opposition parties are calling for the government’s resignation.

A parliamentary morals committee will determine whether to assistance the automatic parliamentary immunity of Haralambos Athanassiou and Tassos Hadzivassiliou. It is expected to convene connected April 20, aft the Easter holidays. 

Athanassiou is himself a subordinate of the morals committee and has so been replaced there by chap ND lawmaker Ioanna Lytrivi.

The last determination connected the immunity of the two ND deputies – who look imaginable charges of allegedly instigating breach of work by OPEKEPE officials – will beryllium taken successful a subsequent vote by Parliament’s plenary session.

Earlier Tuesday, the morals committee unanimously recommended lifting the immunity of different 11 sitting ND lawmakers named by the European Public Prosecutors’ Office successful an earlier probe into the scandal. 

The 11 are Katerina Papakosta, Kostas A. Karamanlis, Ioannis Kefalogiannis, Notis Mitarakis, Konstantinos Tsiaras, Konstantinos Skrekas, Dimitrios Vartzopoulos, Maximos Senetakis, Vasileios Vasiliadis, Christos Boukoros and Theofilos Leontaridis.