Political tensions are set to reach a boiling point in the coming days, primarily due to the decision by the Supreme Court prosecutor to keep the wiretapping case on the books. And this, despite the new evidence that, according to the opposition, emerged from the decision of the Athens Single-Judge Misdemeanor Court to sentence (to a total of 126 years in prison) the four individuals involved in the distribution and operation of the illegal Predator software and to request a new investigation by the highest echelons of the judiciary.Nikos Androulakisannounced yesterday that PASOK will coordinate with the other parties of the democratic opposition to jointly submit a request forthe establishment of an Investigative Committee, with the wiretapping case as its subject.
And that’s not all: according to reports from Char. Trikoupi, the party’s next step will beto propose a vote of no confidence in the government if it is found to be attempting to amend the Penal Code so that the four convicted individuals can avoid imprisonment.
At the same time, Alexis Tsiprassent his own key message to both the current leadership of the judiciary and the new leadership to be appointed by the government in late June: “Whatever is easily shelved can just as easily be taken off the shelf,” he said yesterday, referring to the shift in political dynamics that is expected to result from the elections.
“We have a deviation”
Mr. Androulakis’s statement, “we have a derailment,” during yesterday’s emergency press conference, leaves no room for mild reactions but demands a tough showdown with the government.
“Strangely, the retired Israeli officer, while publicly blackmailing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and speaking clearly about his own collaboration with the state, was not even summoned by Mr. Tzavellas to testify. In other words, the man who blackmailed the Greek Prime Ministerwas not called to testify before the Greek courts (…) “For the leadership of the Supreme Court, therefore,there is no issue of espionageregarding those who ‘snitched’ on the Predator to the heads of the armed forces and half the government,” stated the PASOK president.
Placing the blame squarely on the prime minister (“he is undermining the institutions to remain in power”), he added: “Any other prime minister in Europewould have sued the person who claimed that he (i.e., the prime minister) bought the Predator, but Mr. Mitsotakis not only failed to do so but didn’t even comment on it.”
Positive response from Famellos
The opposition parties also adopted the same strong tone. Socrates Famellos contacted Mr. Androulakis last night to coordinate the parties’ actions and proceed with parliamentary escalation.
“The democratic political and social forces of our country mustcome togetheras soon as possible to restore the rule of law, which has been brutally undermined by the Mitsotakis regime,” stated the president of SYRIZA, “demanding,” as he added, that the Supreme Court prosecutor revoke the order to shelve the case.
“National defense brake” on the investigative committee?
Regarding the establishment of the Investigative Committee: The Rules of the Housegrant the minority the rightto request and secure it with only “at least” 120 votes, instead of the 151 required for decision-making.
This right is granted only twice during the Parliament’s term, and so far it has been exercised once (regarding Tempi).
Theoretically, therefore, the opposition can submit the motion as long as it secures the 120 MPs needed to pass it: PASOK, SYRIZA, KKE New Left, and Freedom Courseaccount for 95 MPs, but at least 20 independents are expected to vote “yes,” plus the support of Victory and the Greek Solution.
Even so,there is a provision in the Parliament’s Rules of Procedurewhich, if utilized by the governing majority, would derail the opposition’s effort: namely, “the establishment of an Investigative Committee on matters relating to foreign policyand national defense requiresan absolute majority of the total number of MPs,”that is, 151.
Given the espionage charge, as well as Mr. Androulakis’s warning that the oppositionwill summon Tal Dillian (Intellexa - Predator) before the Investigative Committee, it is considered very likely that New Democracy will invoke this “prohibitive” provision.
Furthermore, the governing majority could argue (following the precedent set by the Supreme Court prosecutor) thatno new evidence has emergedand, therefore, an investigative committee cannot be established again on the same issue, the wiretaps (note: one was established in 2022).
The parameters of the parliamentary intervention and the courses of action will come under close scrutiny by the parties today as they seek to counter the government’s “brakes.”