The European Parliament’s plenary session approved on Tuesday the lifting of the immunity of MEP Aphrodite Latinopoulou was approved on Tuesday by the European Parliament’s plenary session, which adopted a report on the matter following a request from the Greek judicial authorities.
According to the report, on December 11, 2025, the Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme Court forwarded a request from the Athens Public Prosecutor’s Office seeking the waiver of Ms. Latinopoulou in connection with an investigation into the offenses of forging and using false documents and repeated voter fraud.
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The alleged offenses, according to the request by the Greek authorities as reflected in the report, are said to have been committed during the period from 2023 to June 2024.
The report states that, according to the request and the complaints on which it is based, Ms. Latinopoulou allegedly founded the political party “VOICE OF REASON” in violation of the relevant provisions of Greek law governing the establishment of political parties.
Specifically, reference is made to the requirement that a political party’s founding declaration be signed by at least 200 citizens eligible to vote.
According to the report, a significant portion of the signatures on the party’s founding declaration were allegedly fictitious or forged. In this context, Greek authorities are investigating whether the party’s funding from public resources, its operations since its founding, and its participation in the 2023 national elections and the 2024 European elections.
These matters are not related to the exercise of parliamentary duties
The report notes that, under the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the EU, Members of the European Parliament are protected from investigation, detention, or prosecution for any opinion expressed or vote cast in the performance of their duties.
However, in this case, the European Parliament determined that the alleged offenses do not relate to an opinion or vote expressed in the course of Ms. Latinopoulou.
At the same time, the report notes that, according to the Greek Constitution, during their term of office, Members of Parliament may not be prosecuted, arrested, imprisoned, or detained without the permission of the Parliament, while the immunity of Members of the European Parliament within the territory of their Member State is linked to the corresponding national guarantees.
The report points out that the purpose of parliamentary immunity is not to serve as a personal privilege for Members of the European Parliament, but to ensure the independence of the European Parliament and its members in the performance of their duties.
The European Parliament also notes that it is not a court and that, in the context of a procedure to waive immunity, a Member of the European Parliament cannot be considered a defendant.
According to the report, the Greek authorities have conducted an extensive investigation, which includes a significant number of witness statements.
Based on the evidence examined as part of the procedure to lift immunity, the European Parliament concluded that there is no indication of “fumus persecutionis,” that is, that the legal proceedings were initiated with the aim of obstructing Ms. Latinopoulou’s political activities as a Member of the European Parliament.
With the decision adopted by the Plenary, the European Parliament waives Ms. Latinopoulou and instructs its President to immediately forward the decision and the report of the relevant parliamentary committee to the competent Greek authorities and to the MEP herself.
Source: CNA
