Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis on Tuesday defended a proposed legislative amendment to speed up the investigation of cases allegedly involving members of Parliament, which has triggered complaints from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Speaking in Parliament during a debate on the proposed changes, Floridis said European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kοvesi has already publicly backed a Greek proposal to accelerate the process.
“[Therefore] when we are discussing an initiative that we took which might conceivably constrain European prosecutors’ rights, that can clearly have nothing to do with the truth,” he said.
The proposed amendment tabled in Parliament late Monday stipulates that in criminal cases involving lawmakers a special investigative judge must handle the investigation “departing from any other general or specific provision.”
Earlier Tuesday, the EPPO said that “based on what we know about the intended legislative change, we are particularly concerned by the speed of the legislative process.”
