Greek MPs Criticize European Prosecutor's Office Over OPAP Case; Ministerial Role Debate Continues

Tensions surfaced within Greece's ruling New Democracy party during a parliamentary group meeting, as several lawmakers voiced strong criticism regarding the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) and its investigation into the state-owned lottery company OPAP. The focus was on the procedures followed by the EPPO and the implications for the involved MPs.

Christos Boukoros, a Magnesia MP and one of four lawmakers facing charges, reportedly criticized the EPPO's process. According to government sources, Boukoros stated that six days passed between the EPPO's announcement and the accused receiving official notification of the case's content. He expressed frustration, saying, "We are asked why we are accused and we cannot answer. This is a direct blow to the rights of any citizen. We asked from the first moment to go to our natural judge, and this will happen, even through distorted procedures and with incomplete evidence."

“

We are asked why we are accused and we cannot answer. This is a direct blow to the rights of any citizen. We asked from the first moment to go to our natural judge, and this will happen, even through distorted procedures and with incomplete evidence.

Makis Voridis, also defending the four MPs, labeled the charges as "unacceptable" and predicted they would not withstand judicial scrutiny. He launched a sharp critique against both the opposition and the EPPO, suggesting the prosecutor's office was either incompetent or acting beyond its mandate. "We have a miserable opposition, but we also have a prosecutorial authority, where the good version is that it does not do its job well, and the bad version is that it does something beyond its job. And here a serious institutional issue is born," Voridis reportedly stated.

“

We have a miserable opposition, but we also have a prosecutorial authority, where the good version is that it does not do its job well, and the bad version is that it does something beyond its job. And here a serious institutional issue is born.

Katerina Papakosta, a Trikala MP also facing EPPO charges, described the situation as "121 days of humiliation and condemnation," asserting that the "sacred presumption of innocence has been respected by few." She questioned the investigation's file, deeming it "hasty" and containing significant ambiguities in its compilation.

The meeting also addressed the sensitive issue of the incompatibility between ministerial and parliamentary roles. Reports indicate that the proposal to redefine these incompatibilities faced considerable opposition from within the government's ranks. MP Giorgos Vlachos openly disagreed with the proposed regulation, a stance reportedly shared by several other New Democracy lawmakers. Faced with a lack of majority support for the proposal, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appeared to backtrack from the government's initial consideration, stating he did not "discern a willingness in the next parliamentary period to move towards stricter incompatibilities between minister and MP."

“

121 days of humiliation and condemnation... the sacred presumption of innocence has been respected by few.