Tsapanidou: 'Mitsotakis scandal' now collectively burdens New Democracy

The "Mitsotakis scandal" now burdens the whole of the New Democracy party after its MPs voted against the motion of censure tabled by SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, the main opposition party spokesperson Popi Tsapanidou said on Monday morning, speaking on SKAI television.

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The "Mitsotakis scandal" now burdens the whole of the New Democracy party after its MPs voted against the motion of censure tabled by SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, the main opposition party spokesperson Popi Tsapanidou said on Monday morning, speaking on SKAI television.

"It was a supreme parliamentary action that had to happen once we found out, with the 'official stamp' of the Hellenic Authority for Communication Security and Privacy, that the National Intelligence Service had placed six key personalities of this country, five of which are in the military leadership, under surveillance. The chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff was under surveillance for two years, the minister [Kostis] Hatzidakis was also under surveillance," Tsapanidou said, regarding the decision to table a censure motion against the government.

She pointed out that the prime minister had denied that Hatzidakis was under surveillance and queried the manner in which the national intelligence service prosecutor approved the phone interceptions.

"Justice, on its part, should act so that we get answers," the spokesperson said.

Tsapanidou was also asked about the main opposition's position on a report about the alleged death of a refugee child named Maria on the Evros River, whose veracity was later disputed. Responding to criticism that SYRIZA had too eagerly adopted a version that cast Greece in a bad light, she noted that the information about the possible death of a child had been relayed by Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarachi himself in a tweet.

She also noted that it was now no longer possible to determine the truth due to the government's mishandling of the issue, "which did not allow any leeway for investigating the case."

"We do not know what has happened. If the government had proceeded with the necessary actions when the refugees were found on the Evros islet - which was confirmed to have also been Greek territory - things would now be different," she added.