New Democracy MP Zetta Makri spoke about the blackmail case against her by a journalist on Parapolitika 90.1 radio and the “Bras de Fer” show with journalists Dimitris Takis and Christina Korai. As she said, she had “very good” relations with him, however the situation changed from autumn when systematic publications against her began. “It was a one-way street what I did, when the other side insists that either you give me money or I will continue writing negative articles.”
At the same time, Ms. Makri noted that she can prove the charges against the journalist, emphasizing that it is not “my word against his word.” When asked if the journalist had blackmailed others as well, she stated that when the accused’s name became known, no one was surprised.
Excerpts from Zetta Makri’s interview on Parapolitika 90.1
Among other things, she emphasized:
Regarding the blackmail of Ms. Z. Makri by a journalist
Z.MAKRI: The accused is the owner of a website and co-presenter, panel member of a lifestyle show. This adventure has been going on for a while, it was very difficult for me to decode the messages because I had a very good personal relationship with the accused. I’ve known him for many years, I know his mother and his family. He printed my pre-election leaflets, invoiced and paid for. I had no other kind of cooperation.
Z.MAKRI: I had very good to excellent relations. The whole story started from autumn, it was a series of very systematic and very frequent publications, one article per week.
Z.MAKRI: Is there a 5,000 € cash transaction? In any case, no advertising promotion agreement was made not because I didn’t want to, which I didn’t want to, because I can’t do it. I don’t issue invoices, I’m not a professional who promotes products so that an invoice can be issued for me.
Z.MAKRI: I gave him many chances believing it was an unfortunate moment for him too. I struggled a lot, what I did wasn’t easy but it was a one-way street when the other side insists that either you give me money or I will continue writing negative articles.
Asked if there is any other witness
Z.MAKRI: I am a lawyer, the case is very serious to go accuse a person without being able to prove the accusation. Of course I can prove the charges, it’s not my word against his word.
Asked if she knows that the accused had blackmailed others
Z.MAKRI: I don’t have any such related information but I’ll tell you something that surprised me, that when it was heard that this incident happened, they were asking me mentioning his name first and no one was surprised. This time we didn’t have any “thunderbolts from a clear sky.”
Regarding the OPEKEPE scandal and the damages from Daniel
Z.MAKRI: It’s not difficult to prove this because declarations for plant crops exist, the system may have reopened and been modified but the original declarations exist and based on those they can see the modifications.
JOUR: Have you heard similar stories in Magnesia?
Z.MAKRI: Yes, I have heard stories where people without being entitled received compensation. Regarding subsidies for pastures, yes it had been heard that there are areas in our region too which are declared by livestock farmers from other areas of Lagkada, but I didn’t have a way to cross-check these. I heard these when the OPEKEPE issue opened, the rest about the para-Karla areas I had heard some months before.
JOUR: Did you inform anyone in the government “these things are being heard in Volos about OPEKEPE, maybe we should look into it?”
Z.MAKRI: No because I wasn’t the only one who knew them, it wasn’t a secret. Everyone who had positions of responsibility knew them… naturally the other MPs of the prefecture too. It was something that was circulating among the residents of the specific areas… I knew it, I didn’t know it in the sense of complete documentation of the incidents.
Asked if she will vote in case a preliminary investigation comes for misdemeanor against Voridis and Avgenakis
Z.MAKRI: I will wait to see what my party says, my own disposition like all of us is not to leave citizens with the impression that we are covering something up.
