The ruling New Democracy party on Friday suspended MEP Maria Spiraka’s party membership amid an ongoing investigation into fraud.
The statement stressed that Spiraki will not be able to run in next year’s national elections until her status is restored. Reacting to the news on Friday morning, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the case “very serious.” Interestingly, however, the first reaction of Spiraka’s and ND’s representatives was to downplay the issue as an “administrative disagreement.” But, if it were a simple question, the prosecutor EU would not interfere.
Thursday at noon European Union Attorney demanded that the immunity of Spiraka and Eva Kaili, a socialist MEP currently detained on suspicion of corruption and money laundering in the context of Qatar-Gate, be lifted. “Based on an investigation report received from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), there is a suspicion of fraud detrimental to the EU budget in relation to the administration of the parliamentary allowance and in particular in relation to the remuneration of accredited parliamentary assistants,” reads the statement. Kovesi’s statement.
“The case concerns the former Greek assistant Maria Spiraki. She received an allowance for staying in Brussels while she was in Greece for health reasons and other reasons. The problem is that MEPs sign for the remuneration of their assistants. According to media reports, MEP Spiraki intends to return to the European Parliament the amount that her assistant received. Nevertheless, her political problem will not end with the payment.” New Democracy.
According to sources in the Prime Minister’s Office, “The main problem for the government is that Spiraki made a big mistake: despite the fact that the OLAF reports, which were investigated, were given to her long ago, she did not tell anyone even at her party “- writes newsit.gr.
PS If not for the European prosecutor, then New Democracy would not even have reacted to such a trifle as a bribe. After all, these are trifles against the backdrop of the lawlessness that the Mitsotakis government has been demonstrating for more than four years.
More Stories
Greece will not give Ukraine either S-300 or Patriot (video interview)
MP beat up his colleague in the Greek Parliament
EU Commission warns Greece and Cyprus against fraud