The President of the Hellenic Parliament, Konstantinos Tasoulas, referred to the timeline and sequence of events involving the parliamentary security officer accused of raping his own children, hinting at those who approved his appointment.

Speaking to parliamentary reporters, he reiterated that the officer in question was assigned to Parliament in early 2019, during the SYRIZA administration. He clarified that he finds it inconceivable that the former administration or the then-chief of security could have known about the officer’s depraved actions.

However, he added that the officer’s file should have raised concerns and prevented his appointment to Parliament.

Mr. Tasoulas explained that since taking office, he has personally reviewed the files of officers assigned to Parliament’s security. However, for personnel already in place when he became president, he assumed the files had been vetted by previous administrations.

“If it had been up to me, I would never have brought him here,” he stated emphatically.

Regarding the sequence of recent events, he said that the complaint against the officer, filed by his wife for domestic violence, was made on November 18, 2024, at 6:00 PM. At 7:50 PM the same day, Kallithea Police Station notified Parliament about the arrest, which occurred five minutes later.

The next day, the officer was removed from Parliament’s security service, and on November 20, his wife lodged allegations of child rape.

Earlier, there was tension between Mr. Tasoulas and Zoe Konstantopoulou during the Conference of Presidents.

At the start of the session, the Parliament President briefed members on the case’s timeline, stating, “This is a matter that deeply saddens us. The request for the officer’s assignment to Parliament was submitted by the then-chief of security, Mr. Kyriazopoulos, on January 16, 2019, and approved on March 8, 2019.” He added that the officer’s file at the time included offenses dating back to before 2003.

At that point, Ms. Konstantopoulou entered the room, accusing the Parliament President of a cover-up.

Zoe Konstantopoulou: You’ve been covering for him all these years. His weapon was confiscated in February 2023, and you’ve been protecting him.

K. Tasoulas: His weapon was taken due to anxiety issues, not for indecency. The psychiatrist didn’t report indecency. I covered for no one.

Z. Konstantopoulou: You were obligated to review the officers’ files.

K. Tasoulas: We do. We review the files, but when I took office, I found officers whose files I assumed had been vetted by prior administrations.

Zoe Konstantopoulou: You’re covering for him in a dirty way.

K. Tasoulas: Your behavior is what’s dirty.

Zoe Konstantopoulou: You should be ashamed of yourself.

K. Tasoulas: No, you should be ashamed.