Laura Kövesi, head of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), has made explosive revelations, denouncing her personal targeting in Greece while noting that political immunity and constitutional restrictions prevent prosecutors from investigating serious cases of corruption and the misuse of EU funds. She specifically pointed to the Tempi railway accident in 2022, which cost 57 people their lives, as a characteristic example: although the EPPO took on the case, Greek laws did not allow the investigation to reach high-level political responsibility, leaving "very little they could do." Kövesi emphasizes that the issue is not just immunity itself, but the barriers that prevent the establishment of facts and the proof of guilt or innocence. This Greek example is part of a broader context Kövesi describes for the entire EU: political and institutional resistance, a lack of resources, and mechanisms supposedly meant to control corruption that fail to function in practice, leaving the protection of European funds precarious.
The revealing interview
Laura Kövesi, the first person to hold the office of European Chief Prosecutor, stated in an interview with Euractiv that her greatest challenge was not creating an independent prosecutor in Europe, but whether Europe was ready to let them do their job. As Kövesi gave one of her final interviews, pushing through a fever, she explained that the most exhausting part of her role was battling the European institutional tendency to "soften," delay, and bureaucratize the fight against fraud and corruption. The EPPO, an independent office established in 2021 to tackle serious financial crimes against the EU, has opened more than 3,600 cases under her jurisdiction and seized over one billion euros from criminal organizations, including the world's most dangerous mafias, sometimes even targeting top EU officials.
Allegations against the European Commission
However, during her tenure, a senior official from the European Commission reportedly asked her to tone down the public presentation of the corruption cases she was investigating. Kövesi reacted strongly: "How dare you tell me such a thing? We are independent. And if there is a case, it is our duty to investigate it," she recalls. This exchange captures the central problem she faced: the greatest risk to EU money is not just criminals, but also the political and institutional systems that make oversight difficult.
The limits of the system in Greece
The situation is most visible in Greece, where the prosecutor's office rarely received public recognition for its prosecutions but instead hit constitutional restrictions that protect politicians from scrutiny. One of the most striking examples is the Tempi train crash in 2022, which killed 57 people and was linked to the alleged misuse of EU funds intended for railway safety. The EPPO took over the case, which led to a trial in Athens, but European investigators could not proceed as far as they wished, as only the Greek Parliament has the power to investigate the political responsibility of those in charge. "In this case, we cannot find evidence without a change to the constitution," Kövesi said. "It is already too late because laws are not applied retroactively. This is the maximum we could do." For her, the problem is not the existence of immunity, but that such restrictions prevent prosecutors from determining facts and proving guilt or innocence. Lifting immunity is only the minimum requirement for justice to function.
Reactions and lack of resources in the EU
Kövesi also faced resistance within the institutions, such as from the European Court of Auditors regarding investigations into EU spending dating back to 2022 involving its former president, Klaus Heiner Lehne. This resistance led her to appeal to the EU Court of Justice, a case that is still ongoing. Additionally, the EPPO suffers from chronic resource shortages in many member states. In Belgium, it was supposed to have at least eight delegated prosecutors but started with only two, lacking sufficient police support. In major fraud cases, only one investigator was assigned, leading to delays in significant probes, such as the case involving the EU's largest vaccine contract concerning Ursula von der Leyen.
Misinformation and personal attacks in Greece and Croatia
Kövesi spoke of misinformation campaigns and personal attacks, particularly in Greece and Croatia, where her team faced "systematic attacks," while she herself was targeted by Blackcube, a private intelligence firm involved in foreign interference. "A prosecutor who has no enemies is not a real prosecutor," she said with a smile.
Confronting the resistance
Since 2021, Kövesi has made her voice heard whenever her warnings were ignored. She sent letters to the Commission regarding obstacles in member states, spoke at parliamentary hearings and in the media, and, when necessary, threatened legal action—even against the Commission itself. "The Commission started a new study," she said, expressing frustration at the lack of substantive change. When the pressure to "lower her tone" was highlighted, she replied: "The name doesn't matter. What matters is that this mentality exists. That is the problem."
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