ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's Supreme Court prosecutor has said charges should be brought against 11 far-right lawmakers on suspicion of deceiving voters in a June 2023 national election by taking guidance from a jailed politician, the Athens News Agency said on Thursday.
The 11 lawmakers were elected with the far-right party Spartans - although four are now sitting as independents, including two who quit the party on Thursday.
If the lawmakers' election was annulled as a result of the case, following misdemeanour charges being officially brought and leading to a trial, their seats could be distributed to the rest of the parties in the 300-seat parliament.
The party barely registered in polls before the June 2023 election until Ilias Kasidiaris, who is serving a jail term for his leadership role in the banned Golden Dawn party, endorsed it from his prison cell.
The prosecutor's investigation found evidence that the real leader of the Spartans was indeed Kasidiaris and not its official leader Vassilios Stigas, whose complaint over illegal acts within the party triggered the probe, ANA reported.
Under Greek law, parties cannot run in elections if their "real leaders", not only their official representatives, have been convicted for crimes that carry a sentence of up to life imprisonment, ranging from treason or spying to participating in a criminal organisation.
Kasidiaris is expected to be charged, ANA said, citing the prosecutor's order. Kasidiaris, through a statement by his lawyer Vaso Pantazi, has denied any wrongdoing, saying that the case was "a joke".
George Manousos, one of the lawmakers who resigned on Thursday, said in a statement to parliament: "Until now, I remained in the (Spartans) parliamentary group, due to my belief that Greek justice would not find a single grain of credibility in these false statements."
Ioannis Dimitrokallis also resigned, saying that "the criminal charge brought against me has made me unrightfully accountable to judicial authorities over the crime of deceiving voters following the untrue, false and defamatory statements by V. Stigas".
Stigas called on his lawmakers to remain united and said that the Spartans party was being targeted.
An election court is expected to issue a ruling over the case by June, according to leading newspaper Kathimerini, which could also have an impact on the party ahead of elections to the European Parliament in that month.