A proposed amendment looks to cut funding for Greece’s far-right political party the Spartiates (Spartans).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted legislation Tuesday to suspend the party’s funding and to order the return of funds the party received as subsidies for the European Elections. The legislation comes as a proposed amendment tacked onto another bill being debated on the parliament floor on Tuesday. 

The purpose of the regulation is to prevent the state funding given to political parties from being used to support criminal activities.

The amendment calls for the “suspension of funding for parties and their coalitions that are linked to the commission of the crimes, or in forming and participating in a criminal organization”, as well as the return of funding to the Ministry of Affairs, within one month from the moment the decision is notified.

The amendment also stipulates that if the payment isn’t made, three times the amount will be deducted from the party’s next state funding.

Eleven members of the Spartiartates party have been accused of defrauding voters and supporting a convicted criminal organization. Specifically, prosecutors have accused the 11 MPs of collaborating with imprisoned Golden Dawn member Ilias Kasidiaris.

Ilias Kasidiaris was convicted in 2020 for his part in Golden Dawn—the neo-Nazi political party found guilty of murder and racist violence across Athens. Kasidiaris later founded the nationalist Hellenes party and even ran from inside Greece’s Domokos prison. However, the Hellenes were banned from May’s national elections due to Kasidiaris’ criminal record. 

Kasidiaris then endorsed the Spartiates in the June elections, and the party went from being essentially unknown to garnering 12% of the vote and thirteen seats. The party leader, Vasilis Stigkas, thanked Kasidiaris in his first acceptance speech. 

The Spartiates were prohibited from running in the European Parliament elections this spring by a Supreme Court division due to these criminal charges against 11 of the party’s MPs.

However the Spartiates received three sums of €788,067.18,  €59,998.58 and €25,898 in election funding for the European elections in which they didn’t participate.

The proposed amendment looks to recoup this money and prevent further funds being distributed.

A ban on the funding of the Spartiartates had previously been posited by PASOK. PASOK MP Panagiotis Doudonis commented on the proposed amendment on twitter: “After hundreds of thousands of euros of the Greek people lost, and after the lonely and persistent struggle we made as PASOK with two amendments, for over than a year, the government came with second thoughts to follow our path and belatedly legislate the suspension of state funding to the Spartans. Better late than never. However, the price paid by the Greek citizens is high and the responsibility of the government is heavy” 

The trial of the 11 Spartiates MPs has been postponed several times, and the next court date is set for December 20.