3 days ago
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European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi selected the customs bureau at Piraeus Port for an in-depth property league for Greek journalists connected Thursday, wherever she spoke astir immoderate of the large cases of fiscal transgression being investigated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).
Talking astir the investigations that interest Greece, she peculiarly emphasised “Investigation Calypso”, which concerns monolithic customs and VAT fraud involving respective countries, which she described arsenic the biggest of its benignant to date.
She besides sent a beardown connection to the organised transgression gangs down the extended fraud astir the import of goods, chiefly from China, brought successful via Piraeus and different ample European ports, stressing: “The rules of the crippled person changed, nary much harmless havens for you!”
Among others, the main authoritative repeated her presumption that “financial transgression kills” and is besides linked to poverty, portion noting that corruption is not confined to Greece but is recovered everywhere, arsenic determination is nary state “clean” of corruption.
Kövesi took dozens of questions, answering them all, concerning the investigations underway successful transportation with OPEKEPE, declaration 717 and the Tempi obstruction crash, connected the question of nonfiction 86 of the Constitution and the reports of imaginable misuse of funds for Greek recycling units, connected which EPPO has begun a preliminary investigation.
The Chief Prosecutor besides spoke astir her meetings with authorities ministers and heads of Greek authorities connected Wednesday, saying these had been precise constructive and that determination had been bully practice with the Greek authorities. Talking astir her gathering with Economy and Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis, she said she was impressed with the mode the curate had rapidly understood the issues she raised, portion she besides commented favourably connected her meetings with Justice Minister George Floridis and Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis. She appeared assured that, with meetings taking spot astatine this level, what was agreed volition beryllium implemented.
In her opening statement, Kövesi welcomed the information that determination present seems to beryllium capable governmental volition to commencement the process of changing the laws connected ministerial responsibility, namely nonfiction 86, adding: the sooner the better. She was asked respective questions astir nonfiction 86, noting that it comes into struggle with European legislation, portion pointing retired that this nonfiction has blocked the cases relating to OPEKEPE and declaration 717 for the trains. “The lone mode for this to alteration is to alteration the Constitution. In my gathering yesterday with the justness minister, helium indicated a willingness to proceed with making this change. Change the constitution and this volition not hap again,” she said.
Replying to questions astir the OPEKEPE investigation, Kövesi pointed retired immoderate radical had been stealing wealth for galore consecutive years. In her opening statement, she described OPEKEPE arsenic the “acronym for corruption, nepotism and clientelism” and said it was “time to cleanable the Augean Stables.
On the contented of OPEKEPE, she described receiving a moving missive from a pistillate farmer, who told her she could not entree the backing she was entitled to “because she was not prepared to wage a bribe and enactment successful this corrupt system”.
The Chief Prosecutor besides answered questions regarding the Tempi obstruction mishap and declaration 717. Asked astir the reports by immoderate parties that determination whitethorn person been amerciable cargo being transported connected the train, she said the accusation to unfastened a existent probe into amerciable smuggling oregon different fiscal crimes successful EPPO’s jurisdiction was lacking.
Asked whether she had received threats relating to her work, she replied: “I person received galore threats but I don’t speech astir these successful public”.
She besides urged radical to study suspected fiscal crimes straight to the EPPO, noting that each reports are registered and examined.
The Chief Prosecutor’s opening connection was the following:
“Thank you for coming, convey you for making the travel to Piraeus, 1 of the biggest ports successful Europe. As such, it is besides a main people for customs and VAT fraud.
Trade is captious for our economies. But it has to beryllium just trade. We person laws, we request that they are respected. We person customs duties and taxes, we request that they are paid. In full.
As we speak, this is not happening arsenic it should.
In the full European Union, monolithic amounts of customs duties and taxes are not paid arsenic they should.
I came to Piraeus to pass that this is not due to the fact that of small smugglers. It is due to the fact that of unsafe organised transgression groups, who created a transgression ecosystem supported by corruption of customs and taxation officials, customs brokers and slope staff. They bargain from our finances, harm our companies, and weaken our security. Moreover, they alteration the systematic undermining of the EU commercialized policy.
Investigation Calypso, which started successful Piraeus, is the biggest of its benignant to date. We person seized thousands of containers, their worth is astatine slightest 250 cardinal euro. We privation to nonstop the criminals down this monolithic fraud a beardown message: the rules of the crippled person changed, nary much harmless havens for you!
Concretely, unneurotic with the Greek authorities, we are investigating systematic customs goods misdeclaration and smuggling. We are dismantling a unsafe transgression organisation that has caused astatine slightest 800 cardinal euros of harm to the EU and nationalist budgets.
Calypso is simply a spectacular success, but present we person crook it into systematic work. This is the crushed of my sojourn to Greece.
Yesterday, I had precise productive meetings with the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Citizens’ protection, arsenic good arsenic with the Governor of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, the Head of the Hellenic Police and the General Prosecutor of the Supreme Court. We person agreed connected a plan. Now we person to marque it real.
For me, the astir important happening is that we reached a communal knowing connected what is astatine stake.
By reinforcing the EPPO bureau successful Athens, Greek authorities lend to protecting the EU fund and the EU citizens everywhere, not lone successful Greece.My purpose is to execute the aforesaid effect everywhere: successful Constanta, Gdansk, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Lisbon, Valencia, Marseille, Genoa, everywhere…
We person discovered a caller continent of crime. Organised transgression is increasing stronger by defrauding the EU and nationalist budgets. They are getting truthful overmuch richer! So powerful!
It is unacceptable. VAT and customs fraud person go the astir charismatic transgression activities successful the EU. You deliberation lone cause trafficking is violent? Not anymore. We person wiretaps of precise nasty radical readying murders for VAT and customs fraud.
Organised transgression groups person brought VAT and customs fraud to an concern level. I americium not talking lone astir our “domestic” transgression groups. Here, we are talking chiefly astir transgression organisations from 3rd countries. In peculiar the Chinese.
We person to combat back. As Europeans. We are present to reconstruct control, to regain authority, to guarantee a just bid of things. In Europe, the instrumentality is adjacent for everyone!
I cognize galore of you came to inquire questions besides astir different investigations. Let’s commencement with OPEKEPE. What is OPEKEPE about? For years, criminals, helped by civilian servants and precocious officials, were stealing European money. This wealth was expected to assistance honest, hardworking farmers and their families to cultivate this beauteous land. Not to wage for villas, sports cars, and God knows what else.
OPEKEPE has go the acronym for corruption, nepotism and clientelism. Prevention? Ineffective. Detection? Non-existent. Reporting? Obstructed. Investigation? At champion superficial. It is clip to cleanable these Augean stables. And successful my opinion, successful this process, the relation of the judiciary is essential.
The atrocious quality is that, conscionable similar successful the Tempi case, this transgression probe could not make its afloat scope due to the fact that of the Greek Constitution. The bully quality is that the Parliament tin modify nonfiction 86 of the Greek constitution. I recognize determination is present capable governmental volition to commencement this process. The sooner, the better.
Justice cannot go a TV world show. If you truly privation to find the truth, don’t enactment witnesses to talk connected TV, for the suspects to perceive what they person to hide. A feline with a doorbell cannot drawback mice.
The EPPO is not a overseas institution. We are present to stay. We are doing our occupation and volition proceed to bash so. Despite intimidation attempts. I pass anyone who would beryllium tempted to interfere with our work: deliberation twice. I americium arrogant of the EPPO squad successful Athens. With courage, highly hard enactment and fierce dedication to justice, they person earned the spot of the Greek citizens.”
source ANA-MPA
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