Mitsotakis targets Kövesi for party games - Directly challenges the European Public Prosecutor's Office

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis's reference that the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) "appeared to be involved in domestic party competition" is perhaps the sharpest public barb ever directed by a Greek prime minister against the head of the EPPO, Laura Kövesi, raising reasonable questions about what exactly he meant. The statement was made in the wake of the EPPO's announcement regarding the OPEKEPE case, according to which the files of seven MPs were archived, while a case file with misdemeanor charges was forwarded for four MPs. The prime minister argued that this development proves that nine out of the thirteen government officials at the center of the case are "absolutely innocent," accusing the opposition of ignoring the presumption of innocence when speaking of a "government of defendants".

Panic and disrespect

However, the gravest political message was his reference to the EPPO itself—let us not forget, a European institution. The wording that the EPPO "appeared to be involved in domestic party competition" can be interpreted as an insinuation that its actions operated politically in favor of the opposition, implying that Kövesi is collaborating with Mitsotakis's opposition. This is an incredible claim that shows panic and impropriety, as it concerns an independent European prosecutorial body responsible for investigating fraud and the misappropriation of EU funds.

Adonis playing his familiar tune

The clash between the government and the European Public Prosecutor's Office is not new. In the past, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis had leveled particularly harsh criticism against the EPPO, describing Laura Kövesi as a "bad person," while arguing that the government is not obliged to accept the European Prosecutor's assessments. At the same time, he had also criticized the Greek delegated European prosecutors.

The case of the Greek EPPO prosecutors heads to European courts

During the same period, a dispute arose over the renewal of the term of office for the Greek delegated European prosecutors. The Supreme Court (under whose guidance, one wonders?) decided to renew their terms for two years instead of a longer duration—a choice that Laura Kövesi opposed, appealing to the competent European bodies and arguing that the decision undermined the independence and functioning of the EPPO.

The prime minister's new statements come at a time when the EPPO continues to handle cases involving the management of European funds in Greece, including OPEKEPE, as well as investigations into waste management projects and water meter procurement, where we may see prosecutions of government officials in the future. Against this backdrop, the public clash between Maximos Mansion and Laura Kövesi appears not only set to continue but to be entering an even more acute phase.

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