Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged the European public prosecutor's office to promptly initiate legal proceedings against legislators who are believed to be involved in potential fraudulent activities pertaining to EU agricultural subsidies.
Last week, prosecutors from the European Union announced that they were conducting an inquiry into multiple individuals affiliated with the governing New Democracy party.
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The investigation focuses on the alleged submission of fraudulent claims by recipients of agricultural subsidies.
Greek officials believe that the syndicate had defrauded a sum of not less than 23 million euros (equivalent to $27 million) from the time it was established in approximately 2018.
Mitsotakis stated that he had made a formal request for the removal of immunity for the 11 Members of Parliament currently under investigation, all of whom are reportedly affiliated with his political party, as reported by the Greek media.
"I am asking the European Public Prosecutor's Office, once the immunity of our MPs has been lifted, to immediately take all investigative measures," he said in a statement broadcast on public television, adding that it would have to "rule on whether, against how many, and against which individuals it intends to bring charges."
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Last week, three members of the cabinet tendered their resignations in light of the scandal, exacerbating the political strain on the Greek government.
EU prosecutors initially outlined the scheme in May, alleging that certain recipients of agricultural subsidies were submitting false claims for land ownership and inflating the livestock count on their farms. The investigations encompassed allegations of fraud involving banana plantations located on Mount Olympus and the unauthorized use of land declared as archaeological sites for pastures.
The majority of the illicit subsidies were directed towards the island of Crete. The accusations resulted in a series of raids and arrests in October, as well as ongoing demonstrations by legitimate farmers whose rightful government subsidies were delayed.
Mitsotakis, who emphasized that the fraudulent activity commenced prior to his assumption of office in 2019, has pledged to incarcerate the culpable individuals to recover the misappropriated funds.
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Next year, Greece is expected to hold elections. On Monday Mitsotakis blamed "the scourge of cronyism" in the country "that for decades has been passed on... from one government to another."
Although Mitsotakis's conservative party is currently ahead in public opinion polls, it is unlikely to achieve a complete majority.