EU prosecutors demand 11 Greek MPs face action over subsidy scandal

European prosecutors connected Wednesday demanded that Greece assistance the parliamentary immunity of 11 lawmakers suspected of engagement successful a scam that syphoned disconnected millions of euros successful EU workplace subsidies.

The ungraded has rocked Greece since the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) revealed the fraud successful May. Farmers launched widespread protests this year aft the ungraded led to delays successful the outgo of cultivation aid.

The names of the 11 person not been released but according to Greek media, they see two ministers and respective elder members of the ruling New Democracy party.

The lawsuit has piled unit connected blimpish Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whose household has been politically influential successful Crete for implicit a century. Most of the fraudulent subsidies went to Crete.

Pasok, the main absorption party, said that immoderate ministers connected the database should resign.

“The dismissal of ministers and lawman ministers from the authorities team is the lone way guardant for Mr. Mitsotakis,” the centre-left enactment said successful a communique, adding that the ungraded “carries successful ample portion the hallmarks of New Democracy.”

Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis called the development “serious”. He said authorities were waiting for the lawsuit record to beryllium sent to parliament “so that an appraisal tin beryllium made for each lawsuit individually.”

The request to parliament marks the 2nd wave of the investigation, aft raids and arrests successful October.

The EPPO said successful a statement that the European main authoritative had called for the lifting of parliamentary immunity of 11 lawmakers “in an probe into an alleged organised fraud strategy involving cultivation funds.”

The bureau said it besides had accusation regarding the imaginable engagement of a erstwhile agriculture minister, his lawman and 5 erstwhile MPs, for acts allegedly committed successful 2021. None person been named.

The EPPO 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 non-political arrests implicit the scandal.

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

The suspects are accused of making subsidy 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.

Bananas connected Olympus

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.

Cases under probe see pastures declared connected archaeological sites, olive trees successful a subject airdrome and banana plantations connected Mount Olympus.

The ungraded has already led to the resignation of 1 curate and the closure of the OPEKEPE bureau that handled EU subsidies.

The ruling party’s erstwhile coordinator for EU funds resigned successful August. She denies immoderate wrongdoing.

“To conceal the illicit root of the proceeds, the suspects are believed to person issued fictitious invoices, routed the funds done aggregate slope accounts, and mixed them with morganatic income,” the EPPO said successful October.

According to OPEKEPE, astir 80 percent of subsidies for pastures granted from 2017 to 2020 ended up successful Crete.

And while the fig of livestock farmers successful Greece is decreasing, 13,000 caller farmers were registered successful Crete betwixt 2019 and 2025. The fig of declared sheep and goats doubled implicit the aforesaid period.

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 blimpish enactment leads successful sentiment polls, but is not expected to unafraid an implicit majority.

Source: AFP