“None of our MPs are charged with illegal enrichment,” stressed the Secretary of the Political Committee of New Democracy, Konstantinos Kyranakis, commenting on the developments surrounding the cases involving 13 of the party’s MPs during an interview on OPEN TV. Kyranakis spoke of a “restoration of the truth,” arguing that for a period of 122 days, specific individuals found themselves at the center of public debate and were portrayed, as he put it, “practically as criminals,” in violation of the presumption of innocence.
Referring to the nine cases that were archived and closed, he emphasized that these MPs were targeted by name and that both they and their families had their reputations tarnished. He went on to call on the opposition to issue a formal apology, stating: “Let’s start with the nine. Because all nine of them — by name — and their families watched their reputations be dragged through the mud.”
Regarding the four MPs against whom charges were filed — Maximos Senetakis, Katerina Papakosta, Kostas Skrekas and Christos Boukoros — he made it unequivocally clear that “they are not accused of having enriched themselves illegally, not by a single euro.” “These four colleagues of ours are not accused of having profited from anything,” he repeated, adding that the total damages under investigation amount to just €7,200. He also noted that the cases are being investigated at the level of misdemeanor offenses and that it is ultimately the courts’ responsibility to reach a verdict.
Kyranakis: “When you say you’ll only pursue charges or seek immunity waivers against New Democracy, that’s a clear double standard”
With specific reference to the case of Christos Boukoros, Kyranakis argued that the intervention in question concerned a citizen’s application that had been submitted on time and through the proper legal appeals process. “If it’s a criminal offense for an elected MP to take up the case of a constituent who feels wronged and has filed a timely and lawful objection over a dispute worth €1,500–2,000, then I’d like someone to point out exactly which article of the Criminal Code covers that,” he said.
The New Democracy Political Committee Secretary also raised the issue of equal treatment, arguing that the case files and recorded conversations include a PASOK MP as well, against whom no comparable proceedings have been initiated. “When you say you’ll pursue charges or seek immunity waivers exclusively against New Democracy, that amounts to one rule for some and another rule for others,” he concluded.
