Three Greek European prosecutors will stay successful bureau for different two years. For Athens this means: affairs connected European money, including OPECPEPEBrussels is not going to fto go.
Supreme Judicial Council of Civil and Criminal Justice of Areopagus unanimously extended the terms of bureau of the three Greek delegated European prosecutors by two years – Popi Papandreou, Harikliya Thanu And Dionysios Mouzkakis. They will proceed to work successful the Greek part Ευρωπαϊκή Εισαγγελία (European Prosecutor’s Office, EPPO)as reported Kathimerini.
Formally, the determination is explained by the request to implicit the cases that these prosecutors are already processing. But the governmental meaning is overmuch broader: Greece will stay under adjacent scrutiny for astatine slightest two much years EPPO successful cases involving European funds, subsidies and imaginable abuses.
The determination was made by 11 members of the Council with the information of the president Areopagus Anastasia Papadopoulou and the authoritative of the precocious tribunal Konstantinos Zavellas. The Greek broadside extended its powers for two years, though the Board European Prosecutor’s Office backmost successful November, according to Greek media, it approved a five-year extension.
Two years alternatively of five
This is where the amusive begins. Athens claims that the contented of extending the term of Greek delegated European prosecutors falls within the competence of Supreme Judicial Council based connected the Constitution and Greek legislation. IN EPPOjudging by the improvement of the conflict, they look astatine the situation differently: European prosecutors are funny successful the stability of their radical connected the ground, particularly when they are conducting delicate cases.
Edition Ta Nea describes the situation arsenic a “tightrope” narration betwixt Areopagus And Laura Kovesi. And this is simply a wholly close formula: Athens did not want to automatically judge the five-year European logic, but they besides could not wholly region prosecutors handling important cases.
The effect was a compromise that was unpleasant for anyone who expected to rapidly adjacent delicate folders. The term was not extended by 5 years, but it was not chopped abbreviated either. This means that existent cases stay with the aforesaid prosecutors, and the Greek governmental people will not beryllium capable to unreal for some clip that Brussels is tired, distracted and forgotten.
OPECPE and European money
What makes this determination peculiarly superior is the lawsuit ΟΠΕΚΕΠΕrelated to the organisation of European cultivation subsidies. Materials EPPO person already been submitted to parliament, and the topic itself has agelong go achy for the government: we are talking not conscionable astir technical errors successful payments, but astir suspicions astir the system done which the wealth passed EU.
European prosecutors woody with crimes affecting the fiscal interests of the European Union: subsidy fraud, corruption, misuse of European funds and schemes where nationalist authorities too often take to look the different way. For Greece this is simply a peculiarly delicate area. People present similar to person wealth from Brussels quickly, but explicate their aboriginal destiny overmuch much slowly.
Against this background, the hold of the powers of the three European prosecutors looks similar a signal: cases will not simply beryllium transferred to caller people, drawn out, mislaid successful the process oregon conveniently forgotten. And if someone successful Athens hoped that the struggle implicit deadlines would assistance weaken control, so acold the effect has been the opposite.
The Greek subdivision of EPPO will beryllium strengthened
In summation to extending the powers of existent prosecutors, three much radical are expected to beryllium appointed to the Greek section EPPO. The fig of places should summation from 10 to 13. This step was antecedently requested by the European Attorney General Laura Kovesiand the Minister of Justice Georgios Floridis approved staff expansion.
This is besides an important detail. If the fig of cases increases and the Greek subdivision is strengthened, it means that Brussels does not see what is happening successful Greece to beryllium a random acceptable of insignificant violations. Quite the contrary: the volume of work is such that the erstwhile strength is nary longer enough.
The seven-year mandate ends successful October 2026. Laura Kovesi. According to Kathimerinishe should beryllium replaced by the existent lawman Andreas Ritterspecializing successful economical crimes and fraud involving European funds. That is, adjacent Kovesi’s departure does not mean that EPPO will suddenly go softer towards Greek affairs. Brussels appears to already person its adjacent acceptable of eyes.
Editorial comment
This is atrocious quality for the Greek governmental system. Two much years of European prosecutorsalready handling delicate cases, will stay successful place. Formally, to implicit the ongoing investigations. Essentially, so that nary 1 successful Athens relaxes and starts making too autarkic decisions when it comes to European money.
At first, the Greek authorities were allowed for years to physique a convenient system for distributing funds EUwhere work was dissolved betwixt departments, parties, intermediaries and “technical errors.” Now Brussels seems to similar to support the process under its ain control. And it looks rather simple: if a state receives European money, but unable to convincingly explicate where they goappears adjacent EPPO. Not retired of emotion for justice, of course. It’s conscionable that the wallet successful Brussels is besides not rubber, arsenic it suddenly turned out.
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