Unrest and uncertainty prevail within New Democracy following revelations about the OPEKEPE case, while based on the image formed from the content of the court documents, parliamentarians and officials from the governing party are recommending to the prime minister’s associates a reconsideration of the overall strategy on the issue. Within this framework, the prime minister’s proposal in yesterday’s televised message for incompatibility between the position of minister and that of MP is part of a broader framework to lower tensions within the Parliamentary Group and change the agenda of public discussion. However, according to sources from the “blue” Parliamentary Group, MPs’ reactions are not subsiding, with parliamentarians emphasizing in their discussions that it is not possible to “lump together” all cases and treat them in the same way.
“Case by case” approach for New Democracy MPs involved in OPEKEPE scandal
Specifically, regarding the conversations of the involved MPs with the then OPEKEPE administration, which have now come to light, New Democracy parliamentarians focus on the deviations in terms of criminal background and financial damage of the cases and request the implementation of a “case by case” management approach, as initially conveyed by the Maximos Mansion. The climate prevailing within the governing party favors the cultivation of differentiation tendencies, which – as MPs emphasize in their discussions – may be expressed in the vote on lifting the immunity of the involved parliamentarians. Regarding today’s session for immunity lifting at the Ethics Committee, behind-the-scenes discussion is dominated by talk about the practices followed by European prosecutorial authorities, which – according to certain MPs – may lead to the “criminalization” of political activity. Characteristic examples include the case of Dimitris Vartzopoulos who submitted two inquiries via SMS and Notis Mitarachi who forwarded an electronic message from a forester to the Organization’s administration.
In yesterday’s statement, Mr. Mitsotakis noted that government members mentioned in the case immediately submitted their resignations, emphasizing that our MPs are honored by their decision to request the lifting of their parliamentary protection. However, he did not leave uncommented the fact that from the initial processing of the evidence, it is clear that not all cases have the same gravity, just as it is clear that none of the New Democracy MPs is accused of gaining financial benefit. Sending a message both to the Parliamentary Group internally and to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the prime minister noted that he will do everything in his power to defend the presumption of innocence and asked European prosecutors, after immunity is lifted, to proceed rapidly with all investigative actions and determine if, how many, and whom they intend to prosecute. “And when I say ‘rapidly’, I mean it. Because we are talking about our MPs who have already suffered personal as well as political damage,” he added.
Voices are multiplying from MPs who appear concerned about how the Maximos Mansion handled the case overall: from last June, when the first court document “broke” and led to resignations of four government officials, until the recent hours, when the image regarding the content of conversations involving 11+2 political figures, included in the European Public Prosecutor’s Office documents that were forwarded to Parliament on Friday, has been largely formed.
Creating impressions
Within this environment, government officials in the last twenty-four hours have been highlighting the gradation of charges in the court documents so as not to create impressions that bring political cost to the involved political figures. Former ministers Kostas Tsiaras and Yannis Kefalogiannis requested the lifting of their parliamentary immunity, wanting to send the message that they seek to remove any shadow around the case. In the same spirit, New Democracy MP for Magnesia, Christos Boukoros, clarified with a public statement: “I do not need any parliamentary immunity cover. I acted according to my duty with devotion to what is right, legal and moral“.
Former minister Kostas Tsiaras, speaking on ANT1 television, reiterated that he did nothing illegal and emphasized that he will normally be a candidate in the next parliamentary elections. Asked if they are “sending him” for immunity lifting for 429 euros, Mr. Tsiaras replied: “190 to 429 euros. It is not a violation, because this person had declared more greening areas than his own cultivation area provided for. In other words, even if those for which he feared losing the ‘greening’ were excluded, he would not lose absolutely anything from these 429 euros“. “I have absolutely no involvement in what is unjustly and unfoundedly attributed to me. (…) I have full confidence in Justice and in our country’s prosecutors, that they operate guided by the Constitution and their conscience. I request the lifting of my immunity,” Katerina Papakosta declared yesterday, concluding that “for reasons of political integrity, I will not participate in the next elections, as long as there continues to be a shadow of criminal unworthiness against me“. Tomorrow the Parliament’s Ethics Committee will convene regarding the fate of the eleven “blues”.
Published in Apogeumatini
