Following the government line, Georgiadis focused on those against whom charges were not brought, while appearing to prejudge the outcome of the judicial process.

He said the European Public Prosecutor’s Office had submitted requests to parliament for the immunity of 13 people to be lifted, adding that parliament approved the requests so that, in his words, there could be no doubt in the minds of the public.

According to Georgiadis, 11 of the cases were investigated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and two by the ordinary Greek judiciary.

The health minister said he had described the cases as ‘ridiculous’ and baseless from the outset. He alleged that they had been used to pressure the Supreme Judicial Council into approving a unilateral five-year extension of the terms of the Greek European delegated prosecutors working under European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi.

He also said reports that cases against another 40 or 50 people were imminent had not been confirmed.

Georgiadis claimed that he had predicted in a series of interviews that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office would close seven or eight of the cases and prosecute the remainder ‘to save face’.

In a social media post, Georgiadis wrote:

‘So let us take stock of the actions of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding OPEKEPE and New Democracy MPs. They came to parliament asking us to lift the immunity of 13 people, and we did so, so that public opinion would have no doubts. Eleven were being investigated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office itself and two by the ordinary judiciary.

‘Act one: the two cases were closed by the Greek judiciary, those concerning Chatzivassiliou and Athanasiou. That left 11. Of those 11, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office itself closed seven today and says that it has initiated prosecutions, at misdemeanour level, against four.

‘I, the “bad guy”, the “irrelevant one” and so on, said from the outset that the cases were ridiculous and had no basis, but that they were brought to pressure the Supreme Judicial Council into accepting the unilateral five-year extension of the terms of the Greek European delegated prosecutors serving under Ms Kövesi.

‘Today, we finally know that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office itself considered seven of the cases ridiculous and is now looking for a misdemeanour charge against four people. This was the “New Democracy criminal gang”, according to the opposition. Meanwhile, the leaks claiming that cases against another 40 or 50 people were on the way have disappeared.

‘The Supreme Judicial Council did not back down and renewed their terms for only two years. Ms Kövesi appealed against that decision before the plenary session of the Supreme Court and lost resoundingly. Let her take the matter to the European Court in Luxembourg. It would be even better for her to lose there as well, so that this institutional coup of self-renewal they attempted can be put to rest once and for all.

‘Let us move on to the cases. In a series of interviews, I predicted that although all 11 cases should normally be closed, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office would not tolerate that and would therefore close seven or eight and prosecute the rest to save face. That is exactly what happened. I got the numbers right as though I had made the decision myself.

‘I now tell you with the same certainty that all four will be triumphantly acquitted by the courts because the cases are a joke. The only thing that needs to happen is for them to be tried immediately, as provided for by the law we passed, so that we can have a court ruling as soon as possible.

‘After all four are acquitted, I am certain that the Supreme Court will do what is necessary to protect the rule of law in Greece and that the European authorities will seriously examine how they allowed an institution created to increase transparency and oversight to play political games in a member state. But that is a matter for the future.

‘PS: I still remember Mr Tsoukalas and Mr Doudonis attacking me and calling me “irrelevant” and so on. Yet I, the bookseller, got everything right, while these lawyers got everything wrong. Let history record that.’

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