Diaspora Greeks File Lawsuit Against Government Over Email Leaks

Dozens of Greeks of the diaspora have filed lawsuits against the Greek government demanding compensation after the leaks of the email accounts that have rocked the conservative government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Vassilis Sotiropoulos, a lawyer representing expats who filed a lawsuit, said on Tuesday that around 30 lawsuits have been filed to date, directed against the Ministry of the Interior.

Citizens are turning against the Ministry of the Interior asking for compensation because “it did not protect their personal data provided in order to take part in the elections for the European Parliament, he said.

In the meantime, subpoenas have also been sent to MEP Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou, demanding she answer why she possessed voters’ data.

“Email information is confidential and should not be provided to political parties,”  Sotiropoulos said.

“These people have not declared that they want their e-mail to be used by Mrs. Asimakopoulou.”

Last week Asimakopoulou announced that she would not be contesting in the June election. She is a prominent member of the ruling New Democracy, a lawyer, graduate of the prestigious Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, run by the Quakers, and of the Ivy League Cornell Law School.

Deputy minister Michalis Stavrianoudakis resigned, and Nikos Theodoropoulos, a governing New Democracy official was fired over the scandal.

The internal probe ordered by Mitsotakis found that in May 2023 the list of email addresses was allegedly acquired by an associate of Stavrianoudakis, who forwarded them to Theodoropoulos. The list was later passed on to Asimakopoulou.

Asimakopoulou sent a barrage of emails to voters abroad minutes after they were informed how to vote by mail.

The developments followed Mitsotakis’ comments last week, emphasizing the need for an “in-depth” investigation into the matter. He said that his conservative party was conducting its own inquiry.

The Athens Prosecutor’s Office and the country’s Data Protection Authority (DPA) have already taken action regarding the case.

The European Parliament will have elections in June and they are seen as a barometer of party strength in countries as well.

Opposition slams Mitsotakis for Diaspora’s email leaks

The president of SYRIZA, Stefanos Kasselakis, described the withdrawal of Asimakopoulou from the European ballot as anachronistic, stressing that the questions about the conduct of Mitsotakis remain.

“Another ‘sit aside for a while until it is forgotten and you come back’ by Kyriakos Mitsotakis,” Kasselakis said.

“After the uproar over the violation of the personal data of thousands of diaspora voters, Mrs. Asimakopoulou withdraws – retroactively – from New Democracy’s European ballot,” he commented in a post on Twitter.

As he pointed out, “the questions about Mr. Mitsotakis are still valid. How did the MEP gain access to the personal data of thousands of citizens? Did he cooperate with the Ministry of Interior or how else?

“I call on the prime minister to stop hiding. No matter how many innocent victims he sacrifices, the reality will haunt him.”