A brief meeting was held between Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis and Deputy Minister Ioannis Bougas with Laura Kovesi. According to sources, during the meeting, Ms. Kovesi raised issues concerning the strengthening of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, its Greek branch, and further staffing with prosecutors and personnel. Specifically, Ms. Kovesi requested the creation of three additional prosecutor positions and six more staff positions, while also requesting salary increases and infrastructure improvements.
According to sources, Greek European Prosecutor Nikos Paschalis expressed satisfaction during the meeting with the cooperation between the prosecutor’s office and Greek authorities, while Ms. Kovesi appeared particularly satisfied with her meeting with Kyriakos Pierrakakis.
As became known, the European Prosecutor showed interest in revising Article 86 of the constitution regarding criminal liability of ministers, with Mr. Floridis noting that the Prime Minister has already announced its revision.
Laura Kovesi: The meeting with Giorgos Floridis and the issues discussed
The European Chief Prosecutor began her contacts with Greek ministers and heads of organizations and independent authorities. As Ioanna Mandrou said earlier on “Parapolitika 90.1“, Ms. Kovesi, apart from Giorgos Floridis, will also meet with the Ministers of Finance and Citizen Protection, Kyriakos Pierrakakis and Michalis Chrysochoidis. She will also meet with the head of AADE, Giorgos Pitsilis, the Chief of Hellenic Police, and the Supreme Court Prosecutor.
The meeting between Laura Kovesi and Mr. Floridis took place within the framework of the official visit that the European Prosecutor is conducting in Greece.
Issues to be discussed – Kovesi’s giant “Kalypso” operation on customs and the mammoth fraud involving Chinese products in Greece
The main request on the agenda for today’s contacts with Laura Kovesi is strengthening the Greek team of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
As the Financial Times revealed earlier, citing Laura Kovesi herself, millions of euros in cash were seized this summer from a customs broker’s office in Greece as part of a VAT fraud investigation linked to Chinese organized crime. The European Chief Prosecutor told the FT that the seized money came from criminal activities aimed at transferring goods to Europe on a “massive” scale without paying required duties and taxes. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) filed charges last month against two customs officials and four brokers allegedly involved in a scheme to import goods from China — such as electric bicycles — while bypassing duty and tax payments. During raids targeting Piraeus port in June, authorities seized 2.7 million euros in cash from a customs broker’s office — an amount that would weigh over 25 kilos in 100-euro bills — and an additional 300,000 euros from his home, Kovesi said.
According to EPPO, the banknotes were part of a total of 4.78 million euros seized in cash and 5.4 million euros frozen in bank accounts in Greece. In total, 5.8 million euros were seized in various European countries. Authorities also seized real estate and cars, as well as more than 2,400 containers with an estimated value of 250 million euros. “This is the largest container seizure in the EU to date,” Kovesi said. “We are targeting criminal networks that organize massive imports of goods from China, avoiding customs duties and committing large-scale VAT fraud.”
The controversial Article 86
It’s worth noting that in Laura Kovesi’s round of contacts, the issue of controversial Article 86 of the Greek Constitution will be raised, as it prevents the European prosecutor’s office from proceeding with investigations of political figures. Specifically, she believes it removes her ability to pursue political persons. Of course, constitutional revision is not subject to negotiation, but this is a means of exerting pressure.
Laura Kovesi, the European Union’s first prosecutor
Laura Kovesi, former head of Romania’s anti-corruption service, became the European Union’s first prosecutor with a mandate to combat corruption. She has led investigations throughout the EU, focusing on corruption, money laundering, and fraud. She is known for her uncompromising stance against corruption and has played a central role in major cases across Europe, including scandals in Greece.
OPEKEPE and Tempi under the microscope
This is not the first time Laura Kovesi has turned her attention to our country. In the past, she has reported obstacles she faced in European Public Prosecutor investigations into railway projects. Now, she returns. The OPEKEPE scandal appears as the largest agricultural subsidy fraud case in Greece, with damages of hundreds of millions of euros. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) investigation under Laura Kovesi revealed extensive corruption with fake pastures, false tax numbers, and political interference.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has compiled a damning report against Greece regarding the “sinful” contract 717, concerning railway signaling and remote control systems connected to the Tempi tragedy. Kovesi had complained about facing obstacles in her investigation into Greek railways. The descent of the European prosecutor to Athens could prove catalytic. For many, this is the moment Greece enters the crosshairs of Europe’s toughest corruption “hunter.”
