NEW JUSTICE MINISTER SIGNS OFF ON U.S.-EU MUTUAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 000141 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV KCRM KTIP CVIS KJUS GR SUBJECT: NEW JUSTICE MINISTER SIGNS OFF ON U.S.-EU MUTUAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE AND EXTRADITION AGREEMENTS REF: A. ATHENS 19 ¶B. 08 ATHENS 1455 ATHENS 00000141 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Daniel V. Speckhard for reasons 1.4(b) & (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) During an introductory call by the Ambassador January 27, new Greek Justice Minister Nikos Dendias confirmed that he had recently signed out to Parliament a legislative package for Greek ratification of the U.S.-EU Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) and Extradition agreements. Securing ratification by Greece -- which negotiated the agreements as EU president in 2003 but is one of four EU members yet to ratify them -- has been a longstanding goal of the Embassy (reftels). We understand the parliamentary leadership is prepared to complete ratification expeditiously, and Dendias said the government was making plans to deal with anticipated criticism that the agreements put an undue burden on Gr%%!%QQQ T(e Ambassador and Dendias !#Q!%$ !* Q(% (%Q!QQa"!e of completing the requ!Q%EdQQ "%R Q(%V!Q!Taiver Program (VWP),&$ D$F$!!Q Q!!$ (% QQQdd be happy to provide c#%%%QTAQQQQb Q(QE"QQQ!Qosal for an agreement /" PQ%Q$FQa"! "$QQQ@!%ating Serious Crime (PCSQQ !QQQa" Q!Q) QQ$ but he could not yet gi"! ! Q)metable for the Greek response. Dendias and the Ambassador also agreed on importance of combating trafficking in persons (TIP),and Dendias acknowledged the need for better data collection in Greek law enforcement, including on TIP cases. Dendias agreed to look into the case of a U.S. citizen who had fled to Greece to avoid criminal sentencing. End Summary. MLA on the Move -------------- ¶2. (C) The Ambassador asked Dendias about a report we had recently heard that the U.S.-EU MLA and Extradition agreements were now with Parliament. Dendias confirmed this news, saying he had approved the legislative package for the agreements a few days earlier. The Ambassador thanked him for his efforts. (Note: We have urged Dendias's predecessor and other Greek officials to move forward on ratification for at least the past year. It is encouraging that Dendias acted so quickly after becoming Minister on January 8. Parliament President Sioufas has told us separately that Parliament was prepared to move quickly once it received the proposal from the Justice Ministry. In a January 30 meeting, DCM reiterated to Sioufas the need to move quickly. End Note.) ¶3. (C) Himself an MP, Dendias said he thought there might be some questions in Parliament about whether the agreement is fair to Greece, because it applies to crimes with a sentence of one year or more. He said Greek law appears on paper to have much heavier sentences for crimes than other European countries, although in practice judges eliminate this disparity by giving shorter sentences than the law specifies. Therefore, he said, minor crimes in Greece might fall under the agreement, while such crimes elsewhere in Europe would not. Nevertheless, Dendias said the Greek government was preparing to deal with this argument, and he did not think it would be a major threat to the agreement. Visa Waiver Program and Data Sharing -------------- ¶4. (C) The Ambassador urged Dendias to provide Greek feedback on the PCSC agreement on criminal data sharing, noting the agreement was a major outstanding item for Greece to join VWP. Dendias said joining VWP would have a huge impact on Greek public opinion, encouraging a more positive view of the U.S. as the new U.S. administration gets started. He said the Greek government was working on its response to the PCSC proposal, but he could not give a timetable or any feedback yet. He said the government had to proceed "carefully" in order to ensure that the agreement has the support to pass parliament. The Ambassador said it was important for the public to understand the data sharing accurately -- that it would be no more invasive of privacy than information credit card companies or other businesses process on a regular basis. Dendias agreed and indicated the government wanted to have a well-prepared roll-out plan. ¶5. (C) Dendias added that the new U.S. administration was very popular in Greece, as was the President's announcement about the closure of Guantanamo prison, and this would make it easier to get public support in Greece for data sharing with the U.S. Dendias recalled that he had in the past defended the U.S. against its critics by citing the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that Guantanamo detainees were eligible for judicial review of their detention. Dendias said he thought that ruling was very significant, but it was largely unnoticed by European audiences. He said that the ATHENS 00000141 002.5 OF 002 SUBJECT: NEW JUQTHAA DHBAQPQQ@AAQP ABF ON U.S.-EU MUTUAL LEGA@ AQH@PAa collection on TIP cases was not consistent from year to year. He urged Dendias to find ways our two countries could work together to improve implementation of anti-trafficking laws and to collect meaningful data. Dendias said he "couldn't agree more" on the importance of fighting TIP, noting that he had done work on the subject as an MP in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. He said he could easily believe that data collection on TIP had been a problem in the past, noting that the Greek government and law enforcement have never been as comfortable with technology as they should be. He said there was an existing plan for expanded computerization, but he added -- noting that he found no Internet connection in his office when he started the job -- that he had his doubts it was being implemented well. He said he would look into developing new plans to improve data collection on TIP and other crimes. Haligiannis Extradition Case -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The Ambassador raised the case of a U.S. citizen, Evangelos Haligiannis, who had fled the U.S. to Greece to avoid sentencing for defrauding U.S. and Greek citizens in financial schemes, and had subsequently acquired a Greek passport. The Ambassador noted that we are continuing to seek his extradition. The Ambassador expressed concern that Haligiannis, who we understand was recently released from custody in Crete pending a Greek trial on similar charges, was a flight risk. The Ambassador agreed to provide Dendias with more information on the case and asked Dendias to continue following the case. Bio Notes -------------- ¶8. (C) Dendias is the sole New Democracy MP from the island of Corfu, which also has one MP each from the main opposition party PASOK and the Communist Party. He was born in Corfu, although he was raised in Athens. His wife and two children (ages 16 and 8) still live in Corfu, and Dendias confided that he is wrestling with the question of whether to bring them to Athens now that he has assumed ministerial duties that will keep him in the capital much more than before. After noting that he was holding a place in Athens University for his son (his right as an alumnus) he lamented that education in Greece had deteriorated at all schools since his days as a student. He said the New Democracy government had missed a rare chance to reform the education system earlier in its tenure "when it had the strength," and that now he was unsure when it would be possible to deal with the systemic problems in Greek education. SPECKHARD