The Greek parliament revoked the immunity of 13 deputies at the request of the European and Greek prosecutors. It is an investigation into fraud in the payment of agricultural subsidies of the European Union. This was reported by the AFP agency, writes TASR.
- The Greek parliament revoked the immunity of thirteen deputies due to suspicions of fraud.
- The investigated network should have embezzled at least twenty-three million euros since 2018.
- Thirteen members of the New Democracy themselves requested to be stripped of their parliamentary immunity.
According to the Greek authorities, an extensive network of people was involved in the fraud, who embezzled at least 23 million euros since around 2018. Last year, the police in Greece detained dozens of people during the investigation, but among them were not politicians.
A scandal in the central government
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jorgos Georgantas announced that MPs have now voted by a clear majority to revoke the immunity of 13 colleagues from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s ruling New Democracy (ND) party, which has found itself at the center of the scandal. The politicians themselves, in an attempt to clear their good name, asked to be stripped of their immunity.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) announced the investigation of 20 members of the New Democracy, including current and former members of parliament. They are allegedly mentioned in wiretapped conversations about the cases of specific farmers and often try to intervene in their favor.
Politicians deny guilt
All involved in the scandal deny wrongdoing. Many claim that it is about participating in the cases of their constituents, which is part of the work of deputies. A number of high-ranking politicians have already resigned, including two ministers and two state secretaries, leading to a reorganization of the government.
“The role of a member of parliament is to take an interest in the citizen and to intervene in matters that cannot be resolved on the basis of existing legislation,” former Agriculture Minister Kostas Tsiaras, who resigned in April, told state television on Tuesday.
Incitement to defraud
The EPPO said its investigation concerns “incitement to breach of trust, computer fraud and false certification in order to secure an undue advantage to another person”.
Several members of the Greek government said the investigation was politically motivated and criticized the frequent leaks to the media. Mitsotakis wrote on social media on Sunday that the EPPO must “prove its objectivity”. He promised to convict the “thieves” and get the embezzled funds back. But he points out that the scam started before he came to power in 2019.
