The European Chief Prosecutor also spoke earlier at a panel of the Forum, referring to recent developments in the OPEKEPE case in Greece.

Live press conference of Laura Kövesi from the Delphi Forum

The head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Laura Kövesi, is attending the Delphi Economic Forum and is currently giving a press conference to journalists present.

She further expressed, “I agree with the Greek government that procedures concerning case files involving political figures should be expedited.”

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Earlier, Laura Kövesi spoke in a panel discussion with journalist Pavlos Tsimas, stating that she agrees with the Greek government that procedures concerning case files involving political figures should be expedited.

The head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), Laura Kövesi, is in attendance today at the Delphi Economic Forum, where she is participating in a panel titled “The Shock of the New.”

It is recalled that the European Chief Prosecutor met yesterday with the Minister of Justice, Giorgos Floridis, the Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, and the Minister of National Economy and Finance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis.

At the Delphi Economic Forum, the head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), Laura Kövesi, is present today, participating in a panel titled “The Shock of the New.”

In her discussion with Pavlos Tsimas, the European Chief Prosecutor stated, among other things, that she agrees with the position expressed both by the Greek Prime Minister and other members of the Greek government that procedures concerning case files involving political figures should be expedited.

“I have seen the announcements that have been made, and I agree that procedures must be carried out quickly. We know there is a public expectation for clarification of what happened. But everyone must understand that we are human beings. We also only have 24 hours in which to work. And perhaps we need to sleep a little. Our resources are very limited. So far, in this investigation, we have only one police officer working with our two prosecutors—three people who must evaluate thousands of documents and listen to hundreds of surveillance recordings. It is not easy. But the good thing is that we have an agreement,” she said, adding:

“Yesterday, we had a very good meeting with the Minister of the Interior, and we will have more resources to further advance this investigation. I had this discussion with the Minister of Justice regarding legislative changes. I understood that they want to do something to speed up the process. I truly welcome this. And I agree that we must do something. I also expressed an opinion. Again, it is not that I requested anything from the Greek authorities, but we have an overview of 24 different judicial systems, and we have a good understanding of what needs to be done.”

Laura Kövesi at the Delphi Economic Forum

“The response of the Greek Parliament shows that everyone wants to know the truth”

Asked when she believes the European Public Prosecutor’s Office will be ready to bring the entire case to light, Laura Kövesi replied:

“The cases are in court. In some of the cases, we have already completed the investigation. We already have some decisions. If we talk about this specific case regarding the lifting of immunity, in some instances, we are continuing the investigation, because this is probably the most well-known investigation at the moment. Yesterday, we received the response from Parliament. I think it is very good. It shows that everyone wants to know what happened. This will be a priority for us. I hope, I hope we will be able to continue this investigation at a very fast pace. I am very pleased that we reached this agreement with the Minister of the Interior to appoint some police officers to work on these specific cases. This will help a lot and will allow us to move forward with the case.”

She then gave an example, stressing that no country is completely “clean” and that fraud exists everywhere:

“For me, it is important to give you just one example. This year, we have twice as many new cases registered in Greece because many citizens sent complaints to us. This is a good sign. They trust what we are doing. But what I can tell you is that our colleagues here at the EPPO in Athens are very good. And I must admire their courage, determination, and activity in trying to change this situation. I constantly hear, ‘This is how things are done in Greece.’

I had heard that it is a very corrupt country, and I had the impression that maybe it is like that, maybe not. Now, as European Chief Prosecutor, after five years of EPPO’s operation and knowing exactly what happens in 24 member states, I must tell you: there is no clean country. There is no clean country. There is corruption everywhere. There is fraud everywhere. Maybe the level is slightly higher or not. Maybe there are systemic issues or not. But the fact that you do not discover and investigate it does not make you a clean country.”