Eleven far-right MPs charged with electoral fraud
The Prosecutor of the Supreme Court has brought charges of electoral fraud against eleven lawmakers of the far-right Spartiates (Spartans) party, Kathimerini understands, in a case that could affect the parliamentary seats of the other parties.
The charges do not include party leader Vassilis Stigas.
The court’s prosecutor, Georgia Adeilini, is also targeting Ilias Kasidiaris, the former deputy leader of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn group, who is currently incarcerated, who is accused of incitement to commit fraud, as well as one of his lawyers, Sotirios Metaxas, for complicity in deceiving the electorate.
According to the investigation carried out by Adeilini, despite their official affiliation with the Spartiates party under the leadership of Stigas, it appears that they were receiving support and direct guidance from Kasidiaris. The 11 lawmakers effectively “used the Spartiates party as a front for a new political entity under Kasidiaris, thereby aiding him in circumventing the electoral restrictions imposed by election legislation,” the prosecutor’s report said.
The inquiry allegedly showed that Kasidiaris had frequent contacts with candidates of the new party and that he had undertaken their guidance and political support, which is prohibited by law, since he had been convicted as a member of a criminal organization.
The probe was launched after Stigas appeared at the prosecutor’s office in September 2023 and alleged that members of his party were under the influence of “outside centers” and employing “Greek mafia and Don Corleone” practices. He later retracted his comments.
In the June 2023 elections, the Spartiates party secured 4.68 percent of the vote, electing 12 MPs. The party currently holds 10 seats as two MPs subsequently declared themselves as independents amid disputes with Stigas.
