Mitsotakis: Provisions for statute of limitations in the Ministerial Accountability Law abolished – “Triantopoulos’ step is courageous”

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed Christos Triantopoulos’ initiative to request his referral to justice regarding the “landfilling” at the site of the tragedy in Tempi in a post.

The Prime Minister describes it as a courageous step with no modern precedent, an action “that frees the search for possible criminal responsibilities of political figures from toxic partisan disputes.” He also “throws the ball” to the opposition, asking if all parties in Parliament will take responsibility. “Will they agree with the minister’s initiative? Or, perhaps, will they hide again behind tricks and evasions to justify the unjustifiable?” he wonders.

What changes in the Ministerial Accountability Law

At the same time, Mitsotakis announces a legislative initiative (following the announcements he made in Parliament during the debate on the vote of no confidence against the government) to immediately abolish the statute of limitations for crimes in the Ministerial Accountability Law — which, as he mentions, will happen with the next bill from the Ministry of Justice.

This, he explains, will facilitate the search for the truth, “limiting or even eliminating the involvement and jurisdiction of Parliament in the criminal prosecution of ministers. Because the mission of Parliament is neither to acquit political allies nor to condemn political opponents!”

Mitsotakis’ detailed post:

Christos Triantopoulos’ initiative to ask the Pre-investigation Committee for his referral to justice is a courageous step that has no modern precedent. A step that allows him to be judged by regular judges who enjoy constitutional guarantees of functional and personal independence. And an action that frees the search for possible criminal responsibilities of political figures from toxic partisan disputes. Unfortunately, disputes that other parties are still engaging in.

Despite the actual facts, the entire opposition had pre-judged both Christos Triantopoulos’ supposed guilt and the alleged government “cover-up.” Thus, all parliamentary factions are now faced with their responsibilities: Will they agree with the minister’s initiative? Or, perhaps, will they hide again behind tricks and evasions to justify the unjustifiable?

Today’s development, however, confirms something else. As I had previously announced, the time is approaching for a drastic reform of Article 86 of the Constitution. Already, in 2006, as a newly elected MP, together with 7 colleagues, including the current President of the Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas, I proposed the revision of this provision to distinguish the criminal aspect of prosecuting Ministers from the periodic political confrontations. In 2019, we amended the Constitution, abolishing the special statute of limitations for crimes committed by Government members and Deputy Ministers.

In fact, even though it is self-evident that the Constitution is applied immediately, with a legislative intervention in the next bill from the Ministry of Justice, the conflicting provision in the Ministerial Accountability Law, which has already been rendered ineffective since 2019, will also be explicitly abolished. It is time, with the new revision of the Constitution, to more decisively strengthen public trust in the political system by facilitating the search for the truth and limiting or even eliminating Parliament’s involvement in the criminal prosecution of ministers. Because Parliament’s mission is neither to acquit political friends nor to condemn political opponents!