There was a skirmish between the Minister of State Giorgos Herapetritis and leader SYRIZA Alexis Tsipras during the discussion on parliament for follow up.

“I have never reported to the Committee on Institutions and Transparency anything that Mr. Tsipras called lies,” the state minister said, taking the floor immediately after the opposition leader’s official speech.

“I state bluntly on behalf of the coalition and opposition members who were on the Committee on Institutions and Transparency that I never mentioned anything you said. […] I didn’t say a word about them. You can see it in the protocols,” Mr. Gerapetritis said.

In fact, addressing the MP for SYRIZA and member of the same committee, George Katrugalos, he said: “Please, George, inform your leader if I have said anything of what he called a lie.”

Mr. Gerapetritis begged Mr. Tsipras by the end of the meeting to give up that (he) had lied 3 times, knowing in fact to the leader of SYRIZA-PS that “I intend to exercise all the rights that I have from the insult that I did it to you, because in that extremely hostile speech that you made recently, you also said something right: that no one is above the Constitution and laws.

Reply to Alexis Tsipras

Referring to the intervention of Mr. Gerapetritis, Mr. Tsipras said: “Mr. Mitsotakis needed a life jacket. He cannot do it alone. Mr. Herapetritis took on this role.”

Regarding the speech, Mr. Tsipras asked the Minister of State, “did you know in the Committee on Institutions and Transparency “whether or not you knew that inaccurate questions – you did not personally answer – Mr. Contoleon answered with lies?” Did you know or not? Why did not you answer?

“The decisive question, which concerns Mr. Mitsotakis, you and (Minister of Digital Governance) Mr. Pierrakakis, who accompanied the fired EYP commander that day, who lied to repeated questions, and you were slow to clarify what exactly was happening. If you knew what is happening, you and Mr. Pierrakakis are both participants and accomplices in the crime,” Mr. Tsipras said.

Finally, the leader of the official opposition told Mr. Herapetrite to “not point fingers at lawsuits.” here we are talking primarily about politics, not litigation and not litigation [..] and added: There are famous scientists, you are one of them, who enter politics and decorate it. There are also marches (of academicians) who, entering politics, lose their authority.”

Source: RES-IPE