Prosecutor offices merge as Touloupaki sidelined

The Justice Ministry is planning to merge the offices of Greece’s corruption prosecutors and financial prosecutors in a bid to upgrade the performance of both while the country’s top corruption prosecutor Eleni Touloupaki is to be removed from her post as she faces charges of abuse of power and dereliction of duty.

The criminal charges were brought against Touloupaki in July in connection with the judicial handling of the Novartis bribery probe in which 10 politicians were initially incriminated but virtually no evidence was subsequently presented to back up those charges.

According to sources, a bill stipulating the merging of the two offices is to come to Parliament soon and also foresees the replacement of other prosecutors in both those departments.

Touloupaki’s term as chief corruption prosecutor had been due to expire next spring but the fact that she had not withdrawn from her post following her implication in a criminal investigation had fueled widespread objections within the judiciary.