Velopoulos report on 2019 penal code passage sent to Parliament, but allegations are time-barred
Kyriakos Velopoulos filed a report over Adonis Georgiadis's claims about the 2019 penal code vote; it will be forwarded to Parliament, though any offenses are already statute-barred.
Referral to Parliament
Kyriakos Velopoulos, president of the Greek Solution party, filed a report with the Supreme Court prosecutor concerning statements by Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis. The statements relate to the circumstances under which the penal code and the Code of Criminal Procedure were passed on the eve of the 2019 elections, during the government of Alexis Tsipras. The report will be forwarded immediately to Parliament via the Ministry of Justice, in accordance with the law on ministerial responsibility.
Statute of limitations
Any alleged offenses, even if they were committed, are already time-barred. Two electoral cycles have passed since 2019, and under the law as it stood before the 2019 constitutional revision, the statute of limitations has expired. The referral to Parliament is therefore largely procedural.
Previous investigations
The issue of the 2019 penal code vote had been raised twice before by former Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis, who served under the SYRIZA government. Kontonis had hinted at behind-the-scenes maneuvering and corruption. Judicial authorities investigated both complaints and archived them.
