European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi responded to criticism of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) at the 11th Delphi Economic Forum, raising concerns about past legal practices in Greece while noting positive legislative changes.
Speaking on a panel titled "The Shock of the New", Kövesi said the EPPO had initially been taken aback by how fraud cases were handled. She added that legal reforms followed exchanges with Greek authorities, describing them as aligned with European standards for addressing fraud and financial crime.
"We were a little bit shocked at the beginning because what we saw in Greece was that if you commit fraud, you steal money, you are caught, you pay back the money, and you are free to go. How come? It was a shock for us, and we discussed this. This is not possible […] But the Greek authorities changed this law… very good. This is the European way to do things, and once you enter the EPPO, you have to accept this."
Kövesi also reflected more broadly on challenges, saying: "There is nothing more difficult than to fight with mentality. You can have the perfect laws, but if the mentality is wrong [...] I am tired of hearing that this is how things are in Greece. I don't believe that the Greek people accept corruption as a way of life, and I admire all the people who dare to take a stand and be different."
Speaking about the ongoing investigation into OPEKEPE, she said: "The main topic here is what really happened in OPEKEPE," describing the now-defunct agency as "an acronym for corruption, nepotism and clientelism." Her remarks came in response to the recent lifting of the immunity of 13 MPs allegedly involved in the farm subsidies scandal.
Read more: Greek government reshuffle as ministers resign over OPEKEPE subsidy scandal
"Corruption, abuse of power, fraud, trading of influence … are defined as crimes in Greek law," she said. "So no one in the world will convince me that these categories are part of the job description of politicians here in Greece or anywhere in the EU."
On the progress of the OPEKEPE investigation, Kövesi said the aim is to complete it as quickly as possible. She added that the EPPO has been in contact with Greece's interior ministry regarding additional resources, including staffing support for the case.
Kövesi also questioned decisions affecting EPPO personnel. "It's important to say that these two colleagues who worked for EPPO did an outstanding job," she said. "What is the reason for not renewing their mandate? … Who has an interest [in removing] these prosecutors from the cases and from the EPPO while they did an outstanding job?"
According to Kövesi, the number of new cases registered in Greece has doubled this year, driven in part by citizen complaints. "This year we have double the number of new cases registered in Greece because many citizens have sent us complaints," she said. "This is a good sign. They trust in what we are doing."
