The Greek government has proposed an amendment to suspend state funding for the far-right Spartiates (Spartans) party due to alleged criminal affiliations.
The legislation, introduced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aims to prevent public funds from supporting criminal activities.
The amendment stipulates that parties linked to criminal organisations will have their funding suspended and must return previously received funds within a month of notification. Failure to comply will result in triple the amount being deducted from future state funding.
This action follows accusations against 11 Spartiates MPs of deceiving voters and collaborating with Ilias Kasidiaris, an imprisoned former member of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party.
Kasidiaris, convicted in 2020, later founded the nationalist Hellenes party, which was banned from the May national elections due to his criminal record. Subsequently, he endorsed the Spartiates, leading to their unexpected success in the June elections, where they secured 12% of the vote and thirteen parliamentary seats.
Despite being barred from participating in the European Parliament elections, the Spartiates received substantial state funding, including three sums of €788,067.18, €59,998.58, and €25,898, intended for election purposes. The proposed amendment seeks to recover these funds and prevent further allocations.
The trial of the 11 Spartiates MPs has faced multiple postponements, with the next court date scheduled for December 20.
Source: tovima.com
