The government is in panic following the accusations of former citizens protection minister Giannis Panousis concerning ties between Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) members and the terrorist group, Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire. Parliament’s Institutions and Transparency Committee on Wednesday summoned the former minister to explain allegations backed by evidence submitted to Supreme Court Prosecutor Efterpi Koutzamani regarding death threats he received while serving in cabinet. The panel, headed by former migrant policy minister Tasia Christodoulopoulou, has called Panousis for questioning regarding the files he submitted that include a telephone conversation between former SYRIZA Ministry of Justice adviser Panos Lambrou and a member of the terrorist organization that had been wiretapped by the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Furthermore, Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos and Alternate Minister for Citizens Protection Nikos Toskas (Panousis successor) took legal action against persons unknown for leaking state documents. Paraskevopoulos told reporters late on Wednesday that the transcripts of the conversations are “not necessarily true”. The two ministers called for the prosecutor to check the authenticity of the material submitted by Panousis to ascertain whether it would be admissable in court. Sources state that the two ministers also asked the prosecturo to determine whether certain media groups should face charges for disseminating extracts from conversations that allegedly took place between Lambrou and jailed members of the guerrilla group.
On his part, Panousis responded that he is not afraid of the NIS’s calls. “I had warned the Prime Minister,” he said. “He will either have to extract himself away from his close circle of ‘leftists of nothing’ or be lost with them.” Panousis did not rule out being arrested on account of his anti-government stand, and stated: “These things do not occur and are not tolerated in civilized European countries and democracies. To be accused of going to the Prosecutor and submitting documents – not just views – and then find yourself of being accused and asked why you went and then being sued because you acted according to your constitutional rights is not acceptable.”
The government has not only taken a stand against Panousis but has made an effort to silence the mass media.
