Prosecutor to probe alleged mismanagement of EU funds

Supreme Court prosecutor Xeni Dimitriou on Monday ordered an investigation into media reports alleging that European Union funds given to Greece for the migration crisis were mismanaged.

Dimitriou asked the head of the financial prosecutors' union, Marianna Psaroudaki, to launch an initial investigation to determine whether there is any basis to the allegations.

The probe was ordered a few days after the outgoing head of Greece's reception and identification service, Andreas Iliopoulos, told the liberal newspaper Fileleftheros, that there were indications that EU funds for migration were being mismanaged and called on prosecutors to intervene.

Iliopoulos, who was responsible for reception centers on the five so-called hotspots on Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos as well as a facility in Evros, northern Greece, was dismissed last week.

In his comments to Fileleftheros, he suggested that the funds were mismanaged both by state officials and by representatives of non-government organizations.

Migration Minister Dimitris Vitsas had reacted last week, describing the claims as "lies" and saying that Iliopoulos had failed to do his job properly and had been given the opportunity to resign rather than be dismissed.