Greek parliament lifts immunity of all 13 MPs probed in EU farm subsidy scandal

Greece's parliament lifted the immunity of 13 lawmakers connected Wednesday, arsenic demanded by European and Greek prosecutors investigating the alleged theft of millions of euros successful EU workplace subsidies.

According to Greek authorities, the web defrauded astatine slightest €23 cardinal aft it began successful astir 2018.

Parliament Vice President Georgios Georgantas said lawmakers had overwhelmingly voted to assistance the immunity of 13 lawmakers from the ruling blimpish New Democracy enactment of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which has been ensnared successful the scandal.

The politicians had requested that their immunity beryllium waived to wide their name.

The EU's European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) has announced probes into 20 New Democracy members, including progressive and erstwhile lawmakers.

Those nether probe are reportedly cited successful ineligible wiretaps, allegedly discussing the cases of circumstantial farmers and often attempting to intervene connected their behalf.

All those progressive contradict improper acts.

Many accidental their engagement successful the cases of constituents is portion of their duties arsenic lawmakers.

"The relation of a subordinate of parliament is to instrumentality an involvement successful the national and, of course, to intervene successful matters that cannot beryllium resolved nether the existing legislation," erstwhile agriculture curate Costas Tsiaras, who was among those to resign successful April, told authorities TV ERT connected Tuesday.

Several elder politicians person resigned, including 2 ministers and 2 lawman ministers this month, prompting a authorities reshuffle.

The EPPO has said the probe concerns "instigation of breach of trust, machine fraud and mendacious attestation with the intent to get for different an unlawful benefit."

Dozens of arrests

Ministers cannot beryllium independently prosecuted by Greek courts. Any probe indispensable archetypal walk done parliament successful a cumbersome process that is often blocked by the government's bulk lawmakers.

Greek constabulary past twelvemonth made dozens of arrests implicit the scandal, though the suspects were not politicians.

Some authorities members person said the probe is politically motivated and criticised predominant leaks successful the media.

Mitsotakis weighed successful connected Sunday, saying connected Facebook that the EPPO indispensable "prove its objectivity."

EPPO archetypal elaborate the scam past May, accusing subsidy beneficiaries of making claims for onshore that they did not ain and exaggerating the fig of animals connected farms. Some radical receiving payments had nary nexus to agriculture.

The strategy started aft the EU's Common Agricultural Policy began calculating subsidies based connected onshore alternatively of livestock successful 2014.

The incomplete onshore registry astatine the clip made ownership crossed overmuch of Greece unclear. Farmers were truthful allowed to state onshore owned elsewhere successful the state to assertion subsidies.

Mitsotakis, who notes the fraud began earlier helium came to powerfulness successful 2019, has vowed to imprison the "thieves" liable and to reclaim the funds.

Elections are scheduled successful Greece adjacent twelvemonth and Mitsotakis' enactment leads successful sentiment polls, but is not expected to unafraid an implicit majority.