Request for the waiver of the immunity of Afroditi Latinopoulou
The decision sets out the European Parliament’s position on a request from the Greek judicial authorities to waive the parliamentary immunity of Member Afroditi Latinopoulou so that criminal proceedings for alleged forgery, use of forged documents and repeated electoral fraud may proceed.
BACKGROUND
On 11 December 2025, the Deputy Prosecutor at the Supreme Court of the Hellenic Republic transmitted a request from the Prosecutor at the Athens Court of First Instance seeking the waiver of Afroditi Latinopoulou’s immunity in relation to alleged offences under the Greek Criminal Code, reportedly committed between 2023 and June 2024. The allegations concern the founding of the political party “FONI LOGIKIS” in breach of Greek Law No 3023/2002 on the financing of political parties, including allegedly fictitious or falsified signatures on the founding declaration, unlawful public funding, and unlawful participation in the 2023 Greek national elections and the June 2024 European elections. Afroditi Latinopoulou was elected to the European Parliament in June 2024. Parliament examined the request in light of Protocol No 7 on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union, the Act of 20 September 1976 on direct elections, Article 62 of the Constitution of the Hellenic Republic, relevant case-law of the Court of Justice and the General Court, and its Rules of Procedure. Afroditi Latinopoulou was heard by the Committee on Legal Affairs on 3 June 2026.
CONTENT
Parliament recalls that Members are protected from legal proceedings only in respect of opinions expressed or votes cast in the performance of their duties under Article 8 of Protocol No 7. It finds that the alleged offences are not related to such opinions or votes and therefore do not fall under this absolute immunity. Parliament notes that, under Article 9 of Protocol No 7 and Article 62 of the Greek Constitution, Members enjoy national parliamentary immunities during sessions, and that parliamentary immunity is not a personal privilege but a guarantee of the independence of Parliament and its Members. It stresses that it cannot act as a court and that a Member cannot be regarded as a defendant in a waiver of immunity procedure. On the basis of the information provided, including a thorough investigation by the Greek authorities and numerous testimonies, Parliament finds no evidence of fumus persecutionis, i.e. no indication that the proceedings aim to damage Afroditi Latinopoulou’s political activity or Parliament’s independence.
It therefore decides to waive her parliamentary immunity and instructs its President to forward the decision to the competent authority of the Hellenic Republic and to Afroditi Latinopoulou.
This summary was AI-generated and human-reviewed.