Greek PM calls for reform to allow ministers’ prosecution
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday called for a constitutional reform to abolish ministerial immunity that has repeatedly caused controversy in recent investigations.
“It is time to dare bold reforms that will strengthen the stature of our institutions and citizens’ trust,” Mitsotakis said in a televised address.
“I deeply believe in the more decisive involvement of regular judges in cases concerning criminal liability of ministers while they are carrying out their duties.”
Ministers currently cannot be independently prosecuted by Greek courts. Any probe must first pass through parliament in a cumbersome process that frequently ends up being blocked by the government’s majority lawmakers in the chamber.
Mitsotakis’s government has recently come under fire over the issue, as senior ministers have avoided prosecution in an ongoing EU farm subsidy scandal.
In the case of a 2023 train disaster that claimed 57 lives, parliament eventually referred the former transport minister and another junior minister to the courts.
But to the outrage of the victims’ families and opposition parties, both men are expected to face only misdemeanour charges.
A new party spearheaded by Maria Karystianou, the mother of a victim who has become an icon of the train tragedy, is expected to be launched this month.
Mitsotakis also wants to change the length of presidential mandates from a maximum two five-year terms to a single six-year term.
The ruling New Democracy conservatives have 156 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament.
The present chamber can propose articles for revision, but by law final decisions on constitutional reforms can only be taken by the next parliament — which in this case will emerge after elections scheduled for 2027.
The ruling party is expected to submit its proposals by March. Other parties are also expected to proposal separate revisions.
Source: AFP
The original article: belongs to NEOS KOSMOS .
