OPEKEPE: Second file from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office – Request for waiver of immunity for 11 MEPs

A 2nd lawsuit record concerning the OPEKEPE substance has been prepared by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which announced that it is requesting the lifting of immunity for 11 sitting members of parliament.

Statement from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office

Today (i.e., March 31), successful accordance with the procedures defined by the EPPO Regulation and Greek nationalist law, the European Chief Prosecutor requested from the Hellenic Parliament the lifting of immunity for 11 existent members of parliament successful the discourse of an probe into an alleged organized fraud strategy involving cultivation funds. Five erstwhile MPs are besides nether investigation. At the aforesaid time, the EPPO successful Athens (Greece) referred to the Hellenic Parliament accusation regarding the alleged engagement of a erstwhile Minister and a Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food.

As antecedently reported, the EPPO is conducting respective ongoing investigations into an alleged organized fraud strategy involving nationalist officials of the Hellenic Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid (OPEKEPE). The existent petition for lifting immunity concerns acts allegedly committed successful 2021.

In bid for the EPPO to proceed with this probe and found the facts, portion seeking some incriminating and exculpatory evidence, the European Chief Prosecutor contiguous requested, nether Article 29 of the EPPO Regulation, the lifting of immunity for 11 existent MPs of the Parliament.

The probe concerns alleged felonies and misdemeanors against the fiscal interests of the EU, namely incitement to breach of trust, physics fraud, and mendacious certification aimed astatine obtaining unlawful benefits for 3rd parties.

Additionally, accusation emerged regarding the imaginable engagement successful the fraud strategy of a erstwhile Minister of Rural Development and Food and their Deputy portion performing their authoritative duties. However, Article 86 of the Greek Constitution stipulates that if grounds arises during an probe concerning offenses perchance committed by Ministers successful the workout of their duties, adjacent if they subsequently permission office, specified grounds indispensable beryllium instantly forwarded to Parliament. This makes it intolerable for the EPPO to afloat workout its duties and forces it to abstracted its ongoing probe regarding the imaginable transgression liability of members of the Greek government.

For the clip being, nary further details volition beryllium made nationalist successful bid not to jeopardize the result of the ongoing process.

All individuals progressive are considered guiltless until proven blameworthy by the competent Greek courts.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is the autarkic prosecution authorization of the European Union. It is liable for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to justness crimes affecting the EU’s fiscal interests.