EU’s chief prosecutor investigating Tempe disaster critical of ministerial immunity

The current legal framework in Greece has not allowed the European Public Prosecutor Office (EPPO) to investigate the Tempe railway disaster fully because ministers enjoy immunity for their actions carried out during their time in office, the European Union's chief prosecutor has said.

"We have brought criminal proceedings against 23 public officials and, in accordance with the stipulations of the Greek constitution, we have not been able to conduct the investigation against former ministers who are possible suspects in the case," Laura Kövesi, who heads the EPPO, told Kathimerini in an interview.

In the EPPO's view, this constitutional provision on ministerial immunity is "in breach of EU regulations and law," she said.

"We should be able to go all the way with this investigation because everything we are looking at is related to how the money was spent on...