Kovesi: European Public Prosecutor’s Office ‘here to stay;’ Article 86 must be amended

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office “is present to stay,” Laura Kovesi told a property league connected Thursday greeting astatine Piraeus Port, where a customs bureau is under probe for large-scale fraud.

The EU’s main authoritative is successful Athens checking connected the advancement of that and different ongoing investigations, including a monolithic farming subsidies ungraded and a delayed railway information infrastructure declaration that is believed to person contributed to the 2023 Tempe railway disaster.

Responding to questions astir these probes, Kovesi said that Article 86 of the Greek Constitution – which stipulates that Parliament unsocial has the powerfulness to prosecute members of the authorities for transgression offenses committed while successful bureau – stands successful the way of the investigations, particularly those concerning the cultivation payments bureau OPEKEPE and Contract 717. 

“For galore years, some radical were stealing European funds that should person supported honorable farmers successful cultivating this beauteous state and not gone into villas and costly cars. OPEKEPE became a byword for corruption. The atrocious news, arsenic successful the Tempe case, is that the probe could not spell arsenic acold arsenic it should person due to the fact that of the Constitution,” she said. 

“The bully quality is that Parliament tin amend Article 86,” Kovesi added.

She dismissed suggestions that her bureau lacks independency arsenic “fake news,” adding, “We are present to stay, contempt intimidation.”

“Corruption is not unique to Greece. It exists everywhere. But organized transgression groups are invading Europe,” she added, pointing to ports arsenic large gateways.

Referring specifically to the EU Public Prosecutor’s ongoing Calypso investigation, which includes activities astatine Piraeus and different European ports, the bloc’s main authoritative warned that customs fraud is driven by organized crime.

“The rules of the crippled person changed. There are nary much harmless havens for you,” she said, addressing transgression networks progressive successful large-scale smuggling.

Kovesi confirmed that the Calypso cognition – the largest of its benignant successful the EU – has already led to the seizure of thousands of containers and revealed losses exceeding €800 cardinal successful unpaid customs duties. 

“This is not the work of small-time smugglers, but of transgression organizations, involving officials and bankers,” she said, describing tax and customs fraud arsenic “the astir almighty scams successful the EU.”

She besides confirmed inquiries into Greece’s recycling kiosks and the Greece-Cyprus powerfulness cablegram but said they stay astatine an aboriginal stage.