Greek opposition leader accuses government of ‘squandering public wealth’

By Anadolu Agency Staff

ANKARA (AA) - Greece’s main opposition leader on Wednesday doubled down on his criticism of the government as new revelations emerged on the surveillance scandal which this summer led to the resignations of Greece’s intelligence chief and a top prime ministerial aide.

The Conservative Nea Dimoktratia (ND) government carries out a “systematic campaign of squandering public wealth to enrich its cadres,” Alexis Tsipras, leader of the SYRIZA-PS party said at the morning show of Radio Kokkino.

Tsipras accused the media of helping the government cover up the scandals.

Referring to the wiretapping scandal which recently escalated with new allegations that three government ministers were also spied upon through Predator spyware, Tsipras said: “It is of crucial importance whether the county will go to elections while Predator is in use.”

“The fact that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he wouldn’t come to the parliament to answer questions prove the validity of the allegations,” Tsipras said.

The opposition leader said he is convinced about the victory of his party in the general elections to be held in 2023.

Tsipras noted that their priority is to form a progressive-leftist government when he was asked about the possibility of a coalition government, with an obvious reference to a coalition with the PASOK-KINAL party.

On Aug. 8, Mitsotakis acknowledged that Nikos Androulakis, the PASOK leader, was wiretapped by the intelligence agency but denied knowledge of the operation.

The scandal unfolded on Aug. 4 when Panagiotis Kontoleon, the intelligence chief, told a parliamentary committee that the EYP agency had been spying on Thanasis Koukakis, the journalist.

The European Commission and European Parliament are closely monitoring developments related to the scandal.