Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis referred to the recent Tycheropoulou report on OPEKEPE during a briefing with political editors.
“Reasonable questions arise once again. Why was this report commissioned following the procedure to lift the immunity of the 11 MPs? It could have been available prior to the procedure. The second issue is the report itself. “When the case was characterized by some as criminal in nature and is now being reclassified—since the offense is of a misdemeanor nature—it paints a completely different picture from the one that had initially been leaked by some, ” he emphasized.
Everything, said Mr. Marinakis,“justice will uncover and provide answers. But really, don’t those in the opposition, including PASOK, who spoke of a government of ‘defendants,’ feel the need to apologize? Why didn’t they learn their lesson from the months of collusion over the wood oil scandal? Why haven’t they finally learned to wait for justice? The specific author of this report certainly cannot be described as merely pro-government. I’m not saying that the OPEKEPE issue isn’t a very serious matter, but the case as a whole is one thing, and the involvement of political figures is another; at the end of the day, I urge everyone to remain calm and patient.”
Regarding Alexis Tsipras ’s party and specifically its name, the government spokesperson said:
“The name he chose is indicative of the mindset that prevails more broadly within this political party and beyond. Mr. Tsipras, through both his rhetoric and the name, wants us to turn back the clock. It is a contradiction worth highlighting. Of course, the last thing on our minds is the name of a political party. People want solutions to their problems. They want substance—not that I’m saying we’ve solved everything. It’s a rebranding effort that, so far, is based solely on communication.”
Asked to comment on the PASOK spokesperson’s statement regarding a secret agreement between Mitsotakis and Tsipras, Mr. Marinakis said:“And they haven’t even broken a sweat yet. PASOK has been gripped by panic at the sight of the polls and is turning into a protest party that even the true proponents of conspiracy theories would envy. These are paranoid analyses; you’re doing yourself a disservice when you say that.”
When asked about Karamanlis’s barbs regarding foreign policy and wiretapping, he emphasized:
“I will never go against former prime ministers and party presidents; beyond that, I must present the truth as reflected in the Commission’s annual report—which noted that Greece had 4 recommendations while 15 other countries had more—as well as in reports by The Economist, the OECD, and Transparency International. This is Greece in 2026 in terms of the rule of law. No one is downplaying the wiretapping issue; the courts have ruled, and the appeal is pending.”
On Greek-Turkish relations, he noted:
“The Mitsotakis government is strengthening the country without fanfare or false patriotic rhetoric, and this has nothing to do with Mr. Karamanlis. We cannot accuse a government of not using the weapons in its arsenal when we are still at the level of rumors and media reports. We are not going to sit idly by. People are fed up with empty words.”
Mr. Marinakis announced that“the findings in the report on the drone in Lefkada have been forwarded by the Ministry of Defense to the Prime Minister’s office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the appropriate actions will be taken immediately by the relevant authorities. This is a device of Ukrainian manufacture and origin; you can understand what the next steps will be.”
Regarding a statement by the former Secretary-General to the Prime Minister, Grigoris Dimitriadis, that he has never been the subject of legal proceedings, even though “he has been indicted for felonies and has testified under oath as a witness,” he commented:
“I am not Mr. Dimitriadis’s spokesperson; he was a member of the government until 2022. Legally speaking, a witness—or someone who participates in a proceeding and testifies under oath—is not considered a person who has been criminally prosecuted or is under investigation by the courts.”