Conviction of Asimakopoulou: Marinakis disputes severity, PASOK speaks of "state as spoils"
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis characterised the treatment of the convicted individuals as "hypocritical to absurd", while PASOK reacted strongly.
Marinakis on Asimakopoulou conviction: "We are talking about an email" — PASOK: "State as spoils"
According to Ta Nea, government spokesman and deputy minister to the prime minister Pavlos Marinakis characterised as "from hypocritical to absurd" the manner in which those convicted in the case of personal data breach of diaspora members were being treated, during a regular briefing of political journalists and foreign press correspondents last Monday.
The three-member Athens Misdemeanour Court had convicted former New Democracy Member of the European Parliament Anna-Misél Asimakopoulou, former Secretary General of the Interior Ministry Michalis Stavrianouidakis, as well as the secretaries of Diaspora Affairs and Local Government of New Democracy, Nikos Theodorpoulos and Menios Koromila.
"I distinguish the criminal aspect"
Marinakis stated that he would not comment on the court ruling as such, emphasising that "we do not comment intentionally and we are obliged not to comment on court rulings". At a political level, however, he insisted that "we are talking about an email".
"The way these individuals are being treated, both Ms Asimakopoulou and the other individuals, if one considers that we are simply talking about the sending of an email — is from hypocritical to absurd", he stated characteristically.
At the same time he invoked the presumption of innocence, estimating that the four convicted individuals would appeal. "Until the matter is judged finally or irrevocably, they are innocent until proven otherwise", he said. When asked about the possibility of their expulsion from New Democracy, he replied: "Why would we expel these people? For heaven's sake".
The government spokesman compared the sending of the disputed message with the everyday practice of pre-election communication, emphasising that "on election days we are bombarded with messages from candidates in electoral districts whom we may never have encountered in our lives and from parties we did not know existed".
PASOK: "They were convicted of 25,500 diaspora members, not of 1 email"
PASOK responded with an announcement, calling Marinakis's characterisation "propaganda". The party stressed that the accused "were not convicted of 1 email, as the government spokesman propagandised today", but "for the breach of personal data of 25,500 diaspora members who had entrusted their sensitive data to the Greek state in order to vote by post".
In sharp language, PASOK spoke of "a state as spoils in the hands of the party and their political allies", characterising the case as "the epitome of New Democracy's 'managerial excellence'". According to the party, data that "was secure in state services became a plaything in the party machine of the governing party".
Marinakis disputes Androulakis figures on cost of living
Later in the briefing, Marinakis turned to statements by PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis on the cost of living, which he characterised as unreliable. He noted that Androulakis had cited a publication that used a sample of 14 goods "without clarifying either when the sampling was carried out, or whether he selected cheap or expensive goods".
Citing research he conducted with colleagues through the price observatory "posokanei", Marinakis claimed that for 12 of the 14 products cheaper options could be found. According to him, the total cost of the basket amounts to 49.3 euros and not 62 euros, with price increases of around 27.6 per cent since 2019, and not 60 per cent as Mr Androulakis had reported.
"We are not going to tell people that what they are experiencing is not an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis. No one says the opposite", the government spokesman emphasised, explaining that the government is seeking solutions through increasing incomes, imposing fines and tightening the institutional framework.
Source: Ta Nea