Mr. Konstantinopoulos: If the government considers that Mr. Androulakis is against the interests of the country, let him tell the people

The issue of telephone monitoring is high on the agenda of PASOK – Movement for Change, as can be seen from the interview of the vice president of the Parliament, Odysseus Konstantinopoulos, on the OPEN television station.

“PASOK always defends institutions, transparency and democracy, as during the SYRIZA-ANEL joint government, as well as now,” stressed Mr. Konstantinopoulos, according to a relevant announcement from the party.

He called on the government, if he thinks that “Mr. Androulakis is against the interests of the country, to tell the people. For seven years when Mr. Androulakis was already an MEP, they did not follow him. When he became a candidate for PASOK leader, then he became monitoring,” he further observed.

“Today we are asked why he does not accept to be informed about his monitoring by the new head of the EYP, by a commander, that is, who has not yet become a commander, since he does not have the approval of the Institutions and Transparency Committee”, was another point of same interview.

In response to the question of why the Movement for Change together with the New Democracy had voted for a provision not to inform the persons who were under surveillance, Mr. Konstantinopoulos said – also referring to a relevant position of Haris Kastanidis in the Parliament – that “the information that we had when the amendment was passed at the time was that it was about the defense of the country against terrorism – that’s why we voted for it. It turned out not to be the case, that’s why the Parliamentary Group of PASOK took the initiative to have them discussed in the Parliamentary Committee on Public Administration, Justice and Public Order possible changes, amendments to the provisions of our Criminal Code regarding the violation of privacy of communications, including the amendment that enables the EYP not to inform the monitored persons for reasons of national security”.

According to the vice-president of the Parliament, “the president of PASOK – Movement for Change is a candidate for prime minister of the country, for this reason the reasons for his follow-up must be stated publicly. Shadows are not allowed to remain around his face. Mr. Androulakis fought from the European Parliament on the arms embargo on Turkey, fought battles and what happened is completely paradoxical. It is a matter of Democracy and citizens need to know the whole truth to know what they will do in the elections. It seems that we have almost 15,000 people monitored in our country. It is not possible to blame the victims, what the government is trying to do is unacceptable,” he stressed.

And he continued by saying that the PASOK/KINAL MPs, Evangelia Liakoulis and Haris Kastanidis, have asked the Speaker of the Parliament, Konstantinos Tasoulas, to open the Parliament and to convene the Committee on Institutions and Transparency, in order to “apologize those responsible, such as Mr. Kontoleon”, he argued and added:

“The Committee is the only body of the Parliament that can produce results in the process. It is important to point out that all constitutionalists agree that the surveillance of the president of PASOK-Movement for Change is illegal”

In reference, finally, to the statements of ND MP Charalambos Athanasiou, he called them “unacceptable”, since he “separated MPs according to their religion, implying that Muslim MPs are prone to espionage”.

In conclusion, Mr. Konstantinopoulos pointed out, “the point is not for Mr. Athanasiou to leave so that Ms. Thanou can come”. What is requested is “the arrival of PASOK which will guarantee the orderly functioning of the Democracy and the Institutions. PASOK will escalate its strategy with respect for the institutions and justice, as it did from the very beginning”, he also planned to conclude: “It has prove that SYRIZA cannot bring down the ND, only PASOK can bring about change, ensuring the implementation of a new political proposal for the country”.