Greek governing party suspends Euro MP pending investigation

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s governing center-right New Democracy party has suspended one of its European Parliament members from the party, pending the outcome of an investigation by European authorities into the payment of an assistant. New Democracy said in an announcement Friday that the suspension was ordered by party leader and prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. It said that while the suspension is in place, Maria Spyraki will not be a parliamentary candidate for the party in the next general elections, which are to be held in the first half of next year. In a statement to Greek media, Spyraki welcomed the lifting of her immunity, and stressed the case was unrelated to a corruption scandal currently roiling the European Parliament.