As POLITICO first reported last year, Kaili is accused of misusing her official budget by orchestrating a fake jobs and kickbacks scheme with several former assistants.
According to the report put to the vote Tuesday, Kaili is accused of fraudulently spending between €120,000 and €150,000 of public money; if found guilty, she could face between five and 15 years in prison under Greek law.
Kaili’s lawyer, Spyros Pappas, wrote to POLITICO before the vote that he would take further legal action should the Parliament waive his client’s immunity with “a new application against a possible decision of the EP to adhere to the request of EPPO [the European Public Prosecutor’s Office].”
Pappas added that the notion Kaili could serve prison time based on an amount of €120,000 is “at this stage rather premature and unsubstantiated.”
EPPO wants to investigate allegations that one of Kaili’s assistants did not really work for her between 2015 and 2019; that a total of four assistants submitted fake expenses claims; and that Kaili took kickbacks from the salary of one of the assistants, allegedly at Kaili’s request.
Kaili lost an attempt to blow up the probe last month, having taken her case to the General Court of the European Union.
