“Some of the alleged communications between a senior Greek police official and individuals involved in suspicious activity – published by the newspaper To Vima tis Kyriakis – date back to 2018,” the Ministry of Citizens’ Protection said in a statement. , adding that “they all know which party was in government at the time, so Ms. Tsapanidou can ask the SYRIZA ministers for the relevant answers.”

As stated by the Ministry of Citizens’ Protection, “Regarding excerpts from alleged reports, more recently it is noted that:

• firstly, the political leadership of the Ministry of Defense had no information – not even about the alleged reports of 2018 – and,
• secondly, as soon as the publication became known, it was sent, by order of the Minister for the Protection of Citizens, Takis Theodorikakos, to the Internal Affairs Service of the Security Forces under its new commander for a thorough investigation, as well as to the Athens District Attorney’s Office.

Tsapanidou: Waiting for answers

“Revelations about the connections of the highest officials of the Greek police with people of the underworld are shocking,” SYRIZA-PS spokesman Popi Tsapanidou said earlier, noting that “we are waiting for answers from Mr. Theodorikakos.”

In particular, he asked the following questions: “Why did he put off sending his deputies to court for months, while he himself is engaged in advanced training of the accused officers?” Why is he interfering with the EL.AS. purge cause, which began with the SYRIZA government’s massive investigation into the Greek mafia? After all, who is the ministry protecting? The citizen, however, is not.