Greece PM calls on European prosecutor to act ‘without delay’ on agriculture fraud

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis connected Monday asked the European nationalist prosecutor’s bureau to motorboat “without delay” proceedings against lawmakers suspected to beryllium progressive successful alleged fraud related to EU cultivation subsidies.

European Union prosecutors past week said they were probing galore members of the ruling New Democracy enactment arsenic portion of an probe looking into whether beneficiaries of agriculture subsidies had made mendacious claims.

Greek authorities estimation that the web had defrauded astatine slightest 23 cardinal euros ($27 million) since it started astir 2018.

Mitsotakis said that helium had requesting the lifting of immunity of the 11 MPs who are under probe and who, according to Greek media, are each members of his party.

“I americium asking the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, erstwhile the immunity of our MPs has been lifted, to instantly take each investigative measures,” helium said successful a statement broadcast connected nationalist television, adding that it would person to “rule connected whether, against however many, and against which individuals it intends to bring charges.”

Last week three furniture members resigned implicit the scandal, which has piled unit connected Greece’s government.

Bananas connected Mount Olympus

EU prosecutors archetypal elaborate the scam past May, accusing some beneficiaries of agriculture subsidies of making claims for onshore they did not ain and exaggerating the fig of animals connected farms.

Cases under probe included banana plantations connected Mount Olympus and pastures declared connected archaeological sites.

The allegations led to a string of raids and arrests past October, arsenic well arsenic long-running protests from morganatic farmers who had their lawful subsidies held up.

Most of the fraudulent subsidies went to the land of Crete, where the household of Mitsotakis has been politically influential for implicit a century.

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

On Monday Mitsotakis blamed “the scourge of cronyism” successful the state “that for decades has been passed on… from 1 authorities to another.”

“Such crony relations have been the lawsuit successful the Greek state since its creation,” helium said, adding, “they are 1 of the main reasons for our nationalist backwardness compared with Europe”.

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