Greek parliament lifts immunity of MPs probed in EU farm scandal

Greece’s parliament connected Wednesday lifted the immunity of 13 lawmakers, a determination demanded by European and Greek prosecutors investigating the alleged theft of millions of euros successful EU workplace subsidies.

Parliament vice-president Georgios Georgantas said lawmakers had overwhelmingly voted successful favour of the move, aft the 13 politicians of the ruling New Democracy enactment themselves requested that their immunity beryllium lifted.

Overall, the EU’s European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has announced probes into 20 New Democracy members, including progressive and erstwhile lawmakers.

Those under probe are reportedly cited successful ineligible wiretaps, allegedly discussing the cases of specific farmers and often attempting to intervene connected their behalf.

All those progressive contradict improper acts, and person called for their immunity to beryllium lifted, insisting they will wide their sanction successful court.

Many accidental their engagement successful the cases of their constituents is portion of their duties arsenic lawmakers.

“The relation of a subordinate of parliament is to take an involvement successful the national and, of course, to intervene successful matters that cannot beryllium resolved under the existing legislation,” erstwhile agriculture curate Costas Tsiaras, who was among those to resign successful April, told state TV ERT connected Tuesday.

According to Greek authorities, the web defrauded astatine slightest 23 cardinal euros ($27 million) since it started astir 2018.

Several elder politicians person resigned successful the people of the investigation, including two ministers and two vice-ministers this month, prompting a authorities reshuffle.

The EPPO has said the probe concerns “instigation of breach of trust, machine fraud and mendacious attestation with the intent to get for different an unlawful benefit”.

Ministers cannot beryllium independently prosecuted by Greek courts. Any probe indispensable archetypal walk done parliament successful a cumbersome process that is often blocked by the government’s bulk lawmakers.

Greek constabulary past year made dozens of arrests implicit the scandal, though the suspects were not politicians.

Some authorities members person deed backmost astatine the probe arsenic politically motivated, criticising predominant leaks successful the press.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis weighed successful connected Sunday, noting connected Facebook that the EPPO “is still taking its archetypal steps” and had “to beryllium its objectivity and that it tin bash its occupation properly. By avoiding selective leaks and staying distant from immoderate engagement successful home governmental competition.”

EPPO archetypal elaborate the scam past May, accusing subsidy beneficiaries of making claims for onshore that they did not ain and exaggerating the fig of animals connected farms. Some radical receiving payments had nary nexus to agriculture.

The strategy started aft the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy began calculating subsidies based connected onshore alternatively of livestock successful 2014.

The incomplete onshore registry astatine the clip made ownership crossed overmuch of Greece unclear. Farmers were so allowed to state onshore owned elsewhere successful the state to assertion subsidies.

Mitsotakis, who notes the fraud began earlier helium came to powerfulness successful 2019, has vowed to imprison the “thieves” liable and to reclaim the funds.

Elections are scheduled successful Greece adjacent year. Mitsotakis’s enactment leads successful sentiment polls, but is not expected to unafraid an implicit majority.

Source: AFP