One of the main issues in the Greek public administration remains the prompt and fair enforcement of disciplinary justice, as even today there are still significant delays in the completion of disciplinary procedures, which reinforces the perception among citizens that public officials who commit offences go unpunished.
A characteristic case is that of a doctor in the National Health System, for which it took 23 years (1997-2020) for the case to be examined and a decision to be issued.
Delays, lenient penalties, bureaucratic hurdles and the absence of a unified system for recording and monitoring the progress of disciplinary cases are the main pathogenic factors that have historically plagued the enforcement of disciplinary justice in the Greek public sector.
The National Transparency Authority (NTA), in close cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and within the framework of the National Integrity System, is implementing a comprehensive set of measures to address these pathogenic factors.
The aim is to fight impunity, speed up the adjudication of cases and effectively monitor the disciplinary process.
In this direction, it is very important that the NTA, according to its founding law, has the right to appeal against a decision of a disciplinary body if there are specific grounds, such as lenient punishment in relation to the seriousness of the offence, incorrect assessment of evidence, misinterpretation of legal provisions, insufficient justification. In 2020, the NTA had to deal with 1,372 disciplinary decisions, 31 appeals and three lawsuits.
As part of its digital transformation, the NTA is developing new digital applications (databases and microsites) in order to ensure effective and real-time monitoring of all stages of the disciplinary process.
NTA's staff has developed a digital application at no cost to Greek citizens. The application is currently in pilot operation and provides data mining and analysis capabilities to the Greek public administration. This is the first time such capabilities have been available. The innovation is the result of excellent cooperation between NTA's staff and the Ministry of Interior. This platform monitors the progress and outcome of disciplinary cases before the Disciplinary Bodies. It does so at all stages of development, from the day a case is submitted until the final decision is issued. This capability did not previously exist in the Greek public sector.
This platform will provide direct access to the data of approximately 1.700 cases of public entities, allowing the extraction of specific reports and statistical data. This information will be collected in a single database for the first time and will contribute significantly to informed decision-making on targeted interventions to redesign the disciplinary process, with the aim of improving both the speed and the quality of disciplinary justice.
According to NTA’s Governor, Mr. Angelos Binis "Transparency at all stages of the disciplinary process will enhance the credibility of public institutions. We are taking decisive steps in the digital transformation of the mechanisms for preventing and fighting corruption. We are moving forward with the commitment and expertise of public administration officials, with citizens' expectations for transparency and accountability as our compass."