The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is requesting the lifting of immunity for 11 sitting Members of Parliament (their names have not yet been officially disclosed), as part of its ongoing investigation into the OPEKEPE case and the management of European agricultural funds.
At the same time, the investigation is expanding to include five former MPs, while there are also indications of the involvement of a former Minister and a Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food. The case has not yet been forwarded to Parliament (as required by law), something that may happen even within the day after it passes through the Supreme Court (Areios Pagos).
This constitutes the second phase of the European Public Prosecutor’s investigation into the case, with the first phase having focused on the involvement of private individuals and OPEKEPE officials.
According to the official announcement, the request concerns acts allegedly committed in 2021 and linked to offenses (both felonies and misdemeanors) against the financial interests of the European Union. These include incitement to breach of trust—encouraging the mismanagement of public funds to the detriment of the body responsible for managing them—as well as other offenses such as electronic fraud and issuing false certifications for the purpose of unlawfully benefiting a third party.
This development represents the “second leg” of the broader investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office into the OPEKEPE case. The initial phase had focused on how the alleged fraud scheme was organized, involving private individuals and officials of the organization through the submission of false declarations to illegally obtain European funds.
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis stated that “today’s announcement by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office constitutes a serious development,” while PASOK is calling for the dismissal of government officials. “It is a one-way street for Mr. Mitsotakis to dismiss ministers and deputy ministers if their names are included in the new case file on OPEKEPE,” the main opposition commented.
Source: Efimerida ton Sintakton [1], [2], Kathimerini
What is fyi.news?
