The OPEKEPE lawsuit is entering a new, much captious phase, arsenic the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has sent the 2nd lawsuit record it compiled, which is not constricted to administrative oregon procedural aspects but reaches Parliament and the government, arsenic it is accompanied by a petition to assistance the immunity of 11 sitting MPs.
According to information, each beryllium to New Democracy, giving the lawsuit important governmental weight, astatine a clip erstwhile the Prime Minister’s Office is adopting a wait-and-see stance until it has a afloat representation of the evidence. Once afloat informed astir the lawsuit record and the engagement of each individual, it whitethorn determine to travel the aforesaid attack arsenic successful the archetypal lawsuit file, erstwhile the past Minister of Migration Makis Voridis and 3 lawman ministers (Tasos Chatzivasileiou, Christos Boukoros, Dionysis Stamenitis) resigned aft recorded conversations were revealed. In specified a case, the ministers and lawman ministers mentioned successful the record would beryllium replaced.
Indicative is the connection by Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and Government Spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis: “Today’s announcement by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office constitutes a superior development. We are awaiting the transmission of the lawsuit record to the Hellenic Parliament successful bid to measure each lawsuit individually.”
It is not considered coincidental that the scheduled parliamentary statement connected the “rule of law” was postponed to April 17, with galore linking this determination to the expected submission of the lawsuit file.
The scope of the lawsuit is not constricted to the 11 sitting MPs. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office besides refers to 5 erstwhile MPs, arsenic good arsenic 1 erstwhile curate and 1 erstwhile lawman curate of Rural Development—a full of 18 existent and erstwhile politicians. Protothema.gr has the names but is not publishing them, arsenic they person not been officially confirmed.
Particular involvement lies successful the appraisal of the evidence. According to unofficial information, for 2 MPs who person served successful government, recorded conversations are considered peculiarly incriminating astatine some governmental and transgression levels.
Some recorded conversations reportedly bespeak progressive involvement, with unit oregon wide instructions—often successful a forceful tone—towards civilian servants regarding the result of circumstantial cases.
This is wherever the transgression magnitude of the lawsuit emerges, arsenic specified interventions whitethorn beryllium linked to offenses specified arsenic incitement to breach of work oregon information successful processes starring to the amerciable disbursement of European funds.
By contrast, for the remaining individuals, nary straight incriminating transgression grounds has emerged. Based connected existent data, their actions autumn wrong a acquainted party-related but institutionally problematic framework: governmental mediation for favors to 3rd parties, fundamentally resembling clientelist practices toward voters, chiefly successful agrarian constituencies, rooted successful the accepted enactment and parliamentary mechanisms of New Democracy.
These interventions look to subordinate to the absorption and allocation of cultivation subsidies. MPs are said to person communicated with officials oregon OPEKEPE figures to facilitate oregon get accusation astir circumstantial cases involving citizens oregon groups. This whitethorn see expediting procedures oregon approving applications, but not fiscal oregon different idiosyncratic gain, nor encouragement of amerciable acts.
For a important information of those involved, the references are adjacent much indirect, arising from conversations of 3rd parties who invoke governmental “support” oregon influence, without nonstop involution by the MPs themselves being recorded. This creates a spectrum successful evaluating the evidence, from elemental governmental favors to perchance prosecutable acts.
Reports suggest that the transmission of the lawsuit record concerning 2021 information (when Mr. Melas was caput of OPEKEPE) whitethorn person been expedited, arsenic the misdemeanors progressive could go time-barred aft 5 years. For the aforesaid reason, a 2nd lawsuit record based connected 2022 information (including wiretaps, etc.) whitethorn besides beryllium and beryllium sent to Parliament astatine a aboriginal stage.
Parliament
The extended lawsuit file, containing galore recorded conversations and 2 abstracted requests involving a full of 11+2 individuals (the 2 being the erstwhile curate and lawman curate of Rural Development), is expected to scope Parliament via the Ministry of Justice. Parliament volition not woody with erstwhile MPs.
According to information, the lawsuit record has already been forwarded by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to the Supreme Court and is apt to beryllium submitted to Parliament tomorrow, Thursday. The accompanying briefing outlines the process Parliament volition travel and includes 2 abstracted requests.
The archetypal requests the lifting of immunity for 11 sitting MPs and includes each findings of the investigation, including recorded conversations from lawful surveillance successful 2021. The Speaker of Parliament, Nikitas Kaklamanis, volition guardant the petition to the caput of the Ethics Committee, Giorgos Georgantas, who volition administer copies to committee members.
Committee members, aft reviewing the evidence, volition urge to the plenary whether to assistance immunity for each MP individually. Final decisions volition beryllium taken by unfastened roll-call vote, requiring a elemental bulk of those present.
By established practice, Parliament usually approves astir specified requests, though successful this lawsuit the authorities has stated that each lawsuit volition beryllium evaluated individually.
The 2nd petition concerns the prosecution of a erstwhile Minister and a erstwhile Deputy Minister of Rural Development. In this case, the process of Article 86 of the Constitution volition beryllium followed.
This portion of the record volition not beryllium distributed but volition beryllium disposable successful a unafraid country for MPs to review. If capable grounds exists, astatine slightest 30 MPs whitethorn suggest the enactment of a preliminary probe committee.
The government
The authorities volition measure “case by case” whether to consent to lifting MPs’ immunity, portion for erstwhile ministers it volition see whether a preliminary oregon investigative committee is required.
Unlike the erstwhile case, this record appears to see much important transgression assessments, including references to felonies and misdemeanors. Decisions volition beryllium based connected the severity of actions, distinguishing betwixt elemental interventions and imaginable amerciable acts.
Politically, the lawsuit is highly significant, arsenic adjacent sitting ministers are involved. Given that the erstwhile lawsuit led to resignations, further governmental developments are apt if superior work is established.
There is besides the anticipation of expulsions oregon resignations of MPs, which could trim the government’s parliamentary strength. Observers enactment that the authorities faces a hard situation, arsenic it indispensable determine whether to trust connected MPs nether investigation.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office
The probe concerns superior offenses against the fiscal interests of the European Union, specified arsenic incitement to breach of trust, physics fraud, and mendacious certification aimed astatine unlawful payment for 3rd parties. The alleged acts day backmost to 2021 and are linked to an organized strategy exploiting cultivation funds.
The lawsuit besides highlights organization limits successful investigating governmental responsibility. Under Article 86 of the Constitution, immoderate grounds concerning ministers indispensable beryllium forwarded to Parliament, requiring procedural separation and limiting unified investigation.
In immoderate case, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office stresses that nary further details volition beryllium disclosed for present to support the investigation, and each individuals are presumed guiltless until proven guilty. However, the governmental interaction is already important and is expected to signifier the governmental docket successful the coming weeks.
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