The Greek government said Wednesday it would take no action until the case file is formally transmitted to parliament, after the European Public Prosecutor’s Office requested the lifting of immunity of 11 sitting lawmakers in connection with an alleged organized fraud scheme involving EU agricultural subsidies.

Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis called the development serious while signaling that the administration would follow institutional procedure and wait for the file to be formally received before taking any position. “Today’s announcement by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office constitutes a serious development,” he said. “We await the transmission of the case file to the Hellenic Parliament so that each case can be assessed individually.”

Who Is Reportedly Named

The identities of the 11 lawmakers have not been officially confirmed. According to ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ, however, all are reportedly affiliated with the ruling New Democracy party, and the alleged offenses relate to acts committed in 2021.

The EPPO has stated that the charges under investigation include instigation of breach of trust, computer fraud, and false attestation with the intent to obtain an unlawful benefit for a third party — offenses it classifies as felonies and misdemeanors against the EU’s financial interests. ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ reports that this latest OPEKEPE file allegedly spans a broad cross-section of the ruling party, including two sitting ministers, two sitting deputy ministers, a former deputy minister and the deputy minister who served alongside him during the relevant period, two additional former deputy ministers, a senior party official, and three sitting members of parliament.

The EPPO has also referred information to parliament regarding the possible criminal liability of a former Minister of Rural Development and Food and a Deputy Minister under Article 86 of the Greek Constitution — a separate constitutional process that applies to ministers and former ministers for acts committed while in office. Sources cited by ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ indicate the investigation may extend to additional political figures beyond those already named.

All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

How the Process Works

The two strands of the case — one concerning sitting lawmakers, the other concerning ministers — follow entirely separate constitutional tracks once the file reaches parliament.

For the sitting lawmakers, the request falls under Article 62 of the Greek Constitution. Parliamentary sources say the file will be referred to Giorgos Georgantas, chairman of parliament’s Ethics Committee, whose members will then be briefed on its contents. The committee will convene to consider the request before it is placed on the full parliament’s agenda for a vote. Lawmakers have up to 90 days to reach a decision on each immunity-lifting request.

For the two former government ministers, the process is governed by Article 86 of the Constitution. The file will be announced in a plenary session, after which lawmakers will be given access to its contents in a designated reading room on the second floor of the parliament building.

As for timing, parliamentary sources were candid on Wednesday: the file had not yet arrived, and there had been no contact whatsoever from prosecutors. “We have no visibility at this point as to when the case file will arrive. It is impossible to know when it will come or what it will say,” sources told ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ. The file must first travel from the Supreme Court prosecutor’s office to the Justice Ministry, which will then forward a copy to parliament by official transmittal letter — a process sources suggest could be completed as early as Thursday, but no later than Friday.

Government officials noted that a previous EPPO case file also implicated New Democracy figures without ultimately producing criminal findings — a signal, according to sources cited by ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ of how the government may approach this round as well. However, the same sources acknowledged that the current file is considerably more complicated, given the seniority of those reportedly named.

The EPPO said it would not release further details at this stage so as not to jeopardize the ongoing proceedings.