A political storm was caused by the transfer of the CEO of pro-government newspaper “Avgi” and ex-MP with government party Syriza, Vasilis Moulopoulos, to the administration of Lamprakis Journalism Organization (DOL). The transfer was defended yesterday by the Prime Minister in the Parliament, while the opposition parties were accusing the government of trying to “conquer” the Journalism Organization, which Syriza was targeting until now as the “epicenter of corruption”.
The unprecedented government intervention in DOL took place with the pretext of helping the organization with its economic problems and the attempt to find a solution through EU funding.
In his speech yesterday, the Prime Minister appeared with altered positions about DOL, pointing out that it is a historic and trustworthy journalist organization, although as he said, he was personally bullied by its journalists for months.
The Prime Minister took the opportunity to attack to one of the two publishers of the two publishers of the country’s largest circulation newspaper “Proto Thema”, Mr. Themos Anastasiades. In a rare “crescendo” during his speech he personally attacked the newspaper’s publisher with insults and lies. The newspaper had revealed two scandals of the government regarding the wasting of EU funds. The scandal is about the hiring of 37.500 of “Syriza people” that took place during 2016, as well as 2.500 hired people using EU funds for the refugee hot-spots that according to Syriza MPs they don’t even show up to work!
Alexis Tsipras yesterday, during the political leaders’ conversation on agricultural issues, asked for a legal arrangement that would financially support DOL until an investor shows up, while government people where saying to bank officials that such arrangements wouldn’t be voted in the Parliament.
However, the Prime Minister’s request was rejected by the leader of the main opposition party Nea Dimokratia, mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who asked for a detailed proposal. He underlined, though, that his party will not vote such a proposal if it transfers the organization’s debts to the taxpayers.
The president of Dimokratiki Simparataksi, Fofi Gennimata, fiercely attacked the government for the transfer of Moulopoulos to DOL as well, arguing that “you failed to establish a Syriza Channel and now you want to establish the Syriza News.”
Stavros Theodorakis was especially censorious, denouncing that Syriza’s plan is to hand in DOL to Mr. Mpompolas interests.
