State Department: Strict message on corruption and press freedom in Greece

STATE DEPARTMENT – The Government is directly blamed – Disturbance to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the negative US human rights report on Greece

And from the other side of the Atlantic come accusations against the Government for issues of corruption and freedom of the press. Particularly negative is the report of the State Department that was made public and which considers corruption to be a major problem for the country, while also referring to pressures exerted on journalists and the media, as well as surveillance.

Especially, in relation to corruption, the report states that out of thousands of complaints that have been made, very few have reached the Court. Specifically, it is underlined: “The National Transparency Authority (NTA) oversaw the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) for the period 2022-2025, conducted investigations and monitored the implementation of the provisions regarding asset declarations and pressure activities.

Fraud and corruption cases were assigned to the General Directorate of the Economic Crime Unit of the Ministry of Finance. The Home Affairs Directorate investigated corruption within the Independent Inland Revenue Authority.

The Internal Affairs Service for law enforcement investigated crimes, including corruption, committed by law enforcement. The Court of Audit was the highest financial court and control body regarding the use of public funds.

In 2022 the NTA received 3,513 complaints of alleged corruption, fraud and maladministration (3,057 in 2021) and carried out 575 audits and inspections (393 in 2021), of which 13 (21 in 2021) were referred for prosecution. There were 32 convictions either at the appeals court or at the first instance level (24 in 2021) and 15 acquittals (21 in 2021). Imprisonment was suspended in 28 of the 32 conviction cases.

In February the parliament passed a new law systematizing the asset declaration process. Three months earlier, it passed legislation to protect whistleblowers under an EU directive.

The Whistleblower Act mandated the NTA to receive, manage and monitor corruption complaints. The law mandated written, oral and online mechanisms through which public and private sector employees could raise concerns.

The most notable corruption cases during the year (2023) involved the Police. On January 29, Supreme Court prosecutor Dogiakos ordered a preliminary investigation into a press report alleging links between high-ranking police officers and leaders of criminal gangs. On May 29, authorities arrested five border police officers on charges of involvement in a smuggling network bringing migrants from Turkey.

Regarding press issues, under the heading “Pressures on Journalists and the Media,” the report states: “Domestic and international agencies reported that journalists and media outlets faced pressure to avoid criticizing the government or reporting scandals.

On 12 January, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović urged the authorities to ensure that “human rights defenders and journalists could work safely and freely”. In May, a report by Reporters Without Borders raised concerns about wiretapping of journalists, allegedly by intelligence agencies and through surveillance software, concentration of media ownership, government control of public media and violence against journalists, particularly those covering protests and immigration.” .

However, the report also mentions the usual complaints by various NGOs about “inhumane” treatment of prisoners and asylum seekers, as well as violence against members of ethnic or racial minorities.

For domestic violence, significant progress has been made, but concerns are raised regarding victim protection and the low conviction rate for rape. The report also notes that victims of gender-based violence had inadequate access to asylum procedures.

He notes, however, that the Government effectively enforced laws promoting gender equality, although discrimination occurred, especially in the private sector. On the other hand, it is reported that people with disabilities could not have adequate access to education, employment, public buildings and transport on an equal basis, despite anti-discrimination legislation. The report was commented on by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which in its announcement notes that “the report records, without further investigation, complaints by non-governmental organizations for which no independent audit is carried out.”

And he adds: “Precisely because of this indiscriminate recording, it appears that in all countries with a developed rule of law there are serious human rights issues. Particularly important for the integrity, reliability and objectivity of the report is the fact that the opinion of the Greek State was not sought in relation to the mentioned issues”.

estianews.gr