The Greek Parliament’s Institutions and Transparency Committee on Wednesday summoned former citizen protection minister Yiannis Panousis to explain his allegations about a SYRIZA member who has close ties with jailed terrorists.
Panousis has backed his allegations by presenting recordings of a terrorist inside his cell talking with SYRIZA member and justice ministry advisor Panagiots Lambrou with the latter promising that a new bill will have certain terrorists released while there will be better jail conditions for all incarcerated. The recordings were made by a bug placed in the terrorist’s cell by the National Intelligence Service (EYP).
The former minister also submitted evidence to Supreme Court Prosecutor Efterpi Koutzamani regarding death threats he received while serving in cabinet.
Minister of Justice Nikos Paraskevopoulos and Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas visited the prosecutor to verify the authenticity of the documents submitted and the media’s right to publicize the government members’ alleged links to jailed members of the Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire terrorist group. The two ministers took legal action against persons unknown for leaking state documents.
Sources state that the two ministers also asked the prosecutor 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. Also, they asked if the evidence presented by Panousis would be admissible in court.
On his part, in a written statement released late on Wednesday, Panousis said that the government is trying to silence him. He wrote about “totalitarian regime methods” while he said he doesn’t rule out being arrested on account of his anti-government stand.
“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,” he wrote.
Panousis also wrote that during his term, “I had warned the Prime Minister, he will either have to extract himself away from his close circle of ‘leftists of nothing’ or be lost with them.”
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