ATHENS – Laura Kövesi, the European chief public prosecutor, arrives in the Greek capital on Wednesday as the government clashes with her office over a fraud probe targeting ruling party MPs.

The confrontation is the latest episode in a long-running dispute between Athens and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), with Greek officials repeatedly accusing Kövesi of overreach, while she argues that political resistance is obstructing corruption investigations.

The Greek parliament is set to vote on Wednesday on whether to lift the immunity of 11 lawmakers linked to the EU farm subsidies probe. The case centres on allegations of clientelism in the allocation of EU agricultural funds in 2021.

The parliamentary vote on lifting their immunity will determine whether EPPO can move forward with the case.

Adonis Georgiadis, the health minister, threatened to pull Greece out of the EPPO over the case.

“The EU prosecutor has decided to bring forward absurd cases – triggering major political repercussions. All legal experts, without exception, know well that no conviction can arise from this evidence,” he said.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called on Kövesi to proceed swiftly with all investigative steps once parliamentary immunity is lifted.

But he has stopped short of imposing party discipline on his New Democracy MPs. According to local media, more than 40 New Democracy lawmakers are reluctant to support lifting immunity across all cases.

Some argue the case file does not establish criminal wrongdoing for every MP involved. If a majority in the 300-seat parliament blocks immunity waivers in certain instances, those politicians would not face prosecution by EPPO.

EU prosecutor under fire

High-ranking government officials accuse Kövesi and EPPO prosecutors in Greece of engaging in political manoeuvring and of trapping parliament in a state of constant turmoil.

A former New Democracy minister under investigation, speaking to Euractiv, said that although he supports the lifting of his immunity, the case against him is extremely weak and causes damage to his political career.

“Politically, I will remain on hold until my acquittal,” he said.

Greek officials have also previously criticised Kövesi’s role in a separate investigation linked to a deadly train crash that killed 57 people, involving an EU-funded railway signalling contract.

In a recent interview with Euractiv, Kövesi described Greece and Croatia as two countries where her office has been “systematically attacked”.

She stressed that the core issue is not the existence of parliamentary immunity itself, but the fact that such barriers can prevent prosecutors from establishing the facts and determining guilt or innocence. Lifting immunity, she argued, is merely the minimum requirement for justice to function.

Opposition parties, meanwhile, accuse the government of undermining the country’s EU credentials through its attacks on Kövesi.

“You have turned parliament into a vacation home for the EPPO, and you are orchestrating attacks against the individuals of the institution,” said socialist Pasok leader Nikos Androulakis.

Source: Euractiv.com