A hard-right lawmaker is sworn in as Greece's migration minister
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A hard-right lawmaker was sworn in Monday as Greece's migration minister, replacing a fellow right-wing political heavyweight who resigned following accusations of involvement in the distribution of European Union farm subsidies.
Five high-ranking government officials, including the previous migration minister, Makis Voridis, three deputy ministers and a secretary general, resigned last Friday following allegations they were involved in a scheme to provide EU agriculture subsidies to undeserving recipients.
The funds, which were handled by a government body known by its Greek acronym OPEKEPE, were allegedly given to numerous people who had made false declarations of owning or leasing non-existent pastures or livestock.
Thanos Plevris, 48, succeeded Voridis and is expected to maintain Greece's hard line in migration policy. Both Plevris and Voridis joined the conservative New Democracy party in 2012, from the right-wing populist Popular Orthodox Rally, or LAOS, party.
Voridis has denied any involvement in the alleged farm subsidy fraud and said he resigned in order to clear his name.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office, which has investigated the case, passed on a hefty file to the Greek Parliament last week that includes allegations of possible involvement of government ministers. Lawmakers enjoy immunity from prosecution in Greece that can only be lifted by parliamentary vote.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said his New Democracy party had failed to stamp out graft.
'Significant reform efforts were made,' Mitsotakis said in a social media post. 'But let's be honest. We failed.'
He said anyone found to have received EU funds they were not entitled to would be ordered to return the money.
'Our many farmers and livestock breeders who toil and produce quality products, and all law-abiding citizens, will not tolerate scammers who claimed to have non-existent pastures and livestock, or those who enabled them to do so,' Mitsotakis said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
20 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
The man accused of killing 2 Idaho firefighters had once aspired to be one
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — A 20-year-old man's life appeared to have begun to unravel in the months before authorities say he fatally shot two firefighters and severely wounded a third as they responded to a wildfire near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Wess Roley was living out of his vehicle and his former roommate, T.J. Franks Jr., said he shaved off his long hair and started to "kind of go downhill.' The two lived together for about six months in Sandpoint, Idaho, until Roley moved out in January, Franks said Monday. Roley, who authorities say took his own life after Sunday's shootings, is suspected of killing two battalion chiefs whose firefighting carriers in Idaho spanned nearly half a century combined. The deaths of Frank Harwood, 42, with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, and John Morrison, 52, with the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department, have left their colleagues reeling, resulting in their departments adding law enforcement to every call, no matter how routine. 'I don't know that we're ever going to be able to guarantee people's peace of mind, at least for a while after an incident like this,' Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way said. 'But we are taking every measure we can to ensure safety of our responders.' Roley had set a fire using flint at Canfield Mountain, a popular recreation area, according to authorities. The firefighters who rushed to the scene found themselves under fire and took cover behind fire trucks. 'There was an interaction with the firefighters,' Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said. 'It has something to do with his vehicle being parked where it was.' Two helicopters converged on the area, armed with snipers ready to take out the suspect if needed, while the FBI used his cellphone data to track him and the sheriff ordered residents to shelter in place. They eventually found Roley's body in the mountains, his firearm beside him. He had killed himself, the sheriff said. Roley had once aspired to be a firefighter and had only a handful of minor contacts with area police, Norris said. A motive was still unknown, he said. He had ties to California and Arizona and was living in Idaho 'for the better part of 2024,' although it was unclear why he was there, Norris said. When Roley was living with Franks, his apartment cameras caught Roley throwing gang signs at them, which worried Franks to the point that he called police. The landlord also called Franks one morning because neighbors reported that Roley's vehicle had been left running for about 12 hours. Franks said Roley was asleep in his room and said he forgot about the vehicle. Hours after Sunday's shooting, people gathered along Interstate 90 holding American flags to pay their respects as the two fallen firefighters' bodies were taken to the medical examiner's office in Spokane, Washington, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) from Coeur d'Alene. Gov. Brad Little ordered U.S. and Idaho state flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor the firefighters until the day after their memorial service. 'All our public safety officers, especially our firefighters, bravely confront danger on a daily basis but we have never seen a heinous act of violence like this on our firefighters before,' he said in a statement. Harwood, one of the victims of the shooting, had been with the county fire department for 17 years, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way said during a news conference Monday. Harwood was married and had two children, and he also was a veteran of the Army National Guard. Morrison, who was also killed, started his career with the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department in 1996 and had also worked as a paramedic. Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Fire Engineer David Tysdal, 47, sustained gunshot wounds and was in critical condition. Authorities said he had two successful surgeries. 'We still are in shock and are struggling to understand why someone would target unarmed, selfless public servants,' said Coeur d'Alene Mayor Woody McEvers. By Monday afternoon, the fire was 'reasonably contained,' and responders had 'stopped significant forward progress," Way said. The Idaho Department of Lands said it had burned about 26 acres (10.5 hectares). ___
San Francisco Chronicle
20 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bryan Kohberger to plead guilty to murder in Idaho student stabbings to avoid death penalty
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Bryan Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students as part of a deal to avoid the death penalty, an attorney for one victim's family said. Shanon Gray, an attorney representing the family of Kaylee Goncalves, confirmed Monday that prosecutors informed the families of the deal by email and letter earlier in the day, and that his clients were upset about it. 'We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho," Goncalves' family wrote in a Facebook post. "They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected.' They spoke with the prosecution on Friday about the idea of a plea deal and they explained they were firmly against it, the family wrote in another post. By Sunday, they received an email that 'sent us scrambling,' and met with the prosecution again on Monday to explain their views about pushing for the death penalty. 'Unfortunately all of our efforts did not matter. We DID OUR BEST! We fought harder then anyone could EVER imagine,' the family wrote. A change of plea hearing was set for Wednesday, but the family has asked prosecutors to delay it to give them more time to travel to Boise, Gray said. Kohberger's trial was set for August in Boise, where it was moved following pretrial publicity in rural northern Idaho. Kohberger, 30, is accused in the stabbing deaths of Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho, early on Nov. 13, 2022. Autopsies showed the four were all likely asleep when they were attacked, some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times. At the time, Kohberger was a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University, about 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) west of the University of Idaho. He was arrested in Pennsylvania, where his parents lived, weeks later. Investigators said they matched his DNA to genetic material recovered from a knife sheath found at the crime scene. No motive has emerged for the killings, nor is it clear why the attacker spared two roommates who were in the home. Authorities have said cellphone data and surveillance video shows that Kohberger visited the victims' neighborhood at least a dozen times before the killings. The murders shocked the small farming community of about 25,000 people, which hadn't had a homicide in about five years, and prompted a massive hunt for the perpetrator. That included an elaborate effort to track down a white sedan that was seen on surveillance cameras repeatedly driving by the rental home, to identify Kohberger as a possible suspect through the use of genetic genealogy and to pinpoint his movements the night of the killings through cellphone data. In a court filing, Kohberger's lawyers said he was on a long drive by himself around the time the four were killed. In the letter to families, obtained by ABC News, prosecutors said Kohberger's lawyers approached them seeking to reach a plea deal. The defense team had previously made unsuccessful efforts to have the death penalty stricken as a possible punishment, including arguing that Kohberger's autism diagnosis made him less culpable. The prosecutors said they met with available family members last week before deciding to make Kohberger an offer. 'This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family,' the letter said. 'This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction, appeals. Your viewpoints weighed heavily in our decision-making process, and we hope that you may come to appreciate why we believe this resolution is in the best interest of justice.' In a Facebook post, the Goncalves family wrote that Kaylee's 18-year-old sister, Aubrie, had been unable to attend the meeting with prosecutors. But she shared her concerns in a written statement. 'Bryan Kohberger facing a life in prison means he would still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world,' Aubrie Goncalves wrote. 'Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever. That reality stings more deeply when it feels like the system is protecting his future more than honoring the victims' pasts.' In Idaho, judges may reject plea agreements, though such moves are rare. If a judge rejects a plea agreement, the defendant is allowed to withdraw the guilty plea. Earlier Monday, a Pennsylvania judge had ordered that three people whose testimony was requested by defense attorneys would have to travel to Idaho to appear at Kohberger's trial. The defense subpoenas were granted regarding a boxing trainer who knew Kohberger as a teenager, a childhood acquaintance of Kohberger's and a third man whose significance was not explained. A gag order has largely kept attorneys, investigators and others from speaking publicly about the investigation or trial. ___
San Francisco Chronicle
20 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Thailand's king approves new Cabinet for coalition government shaken by leaked phone call
BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's king approved the appointments of new Cabinet members Tuesday in the coalition government shaken by a major party's departure over the prime minister's leaked phone call with Cambodia's former leader. The reshuffle came during speculation over whether the Constitutional Court will take a petition accusing Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra of a serious breach of ethics over the leaked call. The court could suspend her from office pending the investigation. Paetongtarn said she would accept and follow the process although she didn't want to see her work interrupted. 'If you ask me whether I'm worried, I am,' she told reporters Monday. The endorsement of her new Cabinet by King Maha Vajiralongkorn was published in the government gazette. The reshuffle replaced former Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, which had held several Cabinet positions but left the coalition over the leaked call. Anutin was replaced by Phumtham Wechayachai, who had been defense minister for the past year and also will lead the Interior Ministry. The Defense Ministry post was left blank, with the deputy minister becoming the acting minister instead. Paetongtarn took the position of culture minister. She said she wanted to promote Thai culture on a global scale. Before she became prime minister, Paetongtarn had promoted Thailand's 'soft power,' highlighting its food, culture and sports. The Constitutional Court last year removed her predecessor over a breach of ethics. Thailand's courts, especially the Constitutional Court, are viewed as a bulwark of the royalist establishment, which has used them and nominally independent agencies such as the Election Commission to cripple or sink political opponents. Paetongtarn also faces investigations over an alleged breach of ethics by the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, whose decision could also lead to her removal. Outrage over the call mostly revolved around Paetongtarn's comments toward an outspoken regional army commander and her perceived attempts to appease Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen to ease tensions at the border. Thousands of conservative, nationalist-leaning protesters rallied in central Bangkok on Saturday to demand Paetongtarn's resignation.
