Greece’s parliament lifted the immunity of 13 lawmakers on Wednesday, as demanded by European and Greek prosecutors investigating the alleged theft of millions of euros in EU farm subsidies.
According to Greek authorities, the network defrauded at least €23 million after it began in around 2018.
Parliament Vice President Georgios Georgantas said lawmakers had overwhelmingly voted to lift the immunity of 13 lawmakers from the ruling conservative New Democracy party of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which has been ensnared in the scandal.
The politicians had requested that their immunity be waived to clear their name.
The EU’s European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has announced probes into 20 New Democracy members, including active and former lawmakers.
Those under investigation are reportedly cited in legal wiretaps, allegedly discussing the cases of specific farmers and frequently attempting to intervene on their behalf.
All those involved deny improper acts.
Many say their involvement in the cases of constituents is part of their duties as lawmakers.
“The role of a member of parliament is to take an interest in the citizen and, of course, to intervene in matters that cannot be resolved under the existing legislation,” former agriculture minister Costas Tsiaras, who was among those to resign in April, told state TV ERT on Tuesday.
Several senior politicians have resigned, including two ministers and two deputy ministers this month, prompting a government reshuffle.
The EPPO has said the investigation concerns “instigation of breach of trust, computer fraud and false attestation with the intent to obtain for another an unlawful benefit.”
Dozens of arrests
Ministers cannot be independently prosecuted by Greek courts. Any probe must first pass through parliament in a cumbersome process that is frequently blocked by the government’s majority lawmakers.
Greek police last year made dozens of arrests over the scandal, though the suspects were not politicians.
Some government members have said the investigation is politically motivated and criticised frequent leaks in the media.
Mitsotakis weighed in on Sunday, saying on Facebook that the EPPO must “prove its objectivity.”
EPPO first detailed the scam last May, accusing subsidy beneficiaries of making claims for land that they did not own and exaggerating the number of animals on farms. Some people receiving payments had no link to agriculture.
The scheme started after the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy began calculating subsidies based on land instead of livestock in 2014.
The incomplete land registry at the time made ownership across much of Greece unclear. Farmers were therefore allowed to declare land owned elsewhere in the country to claim subsidies.
Mitsotakis, who notes the fraud began before he came to power in 2019, has vowed to imprison the “thieves” responsible and to reclaim the funds.
Elections are scheduled in Greece next year and Mitsotakis’ party leads in opinion polls, but is not expected to secure an absolute majority.
Additional sources • AFP