National Intelligence Service chief Themistoklis Demiris testifies before the Parliament’s Institutions and Transparency Committee. [Intime News]
The government and the opposition PASOK party clashed Wednesday over a closed parliamentary hearing on the wiretapping scandal, escalating a broader dispute over efforts to end lingering investigations into surveillance practices and the OPEKEPE case.
The confrontation centered on a confidential session of Parliament’s Institutions and Transparency Committee, where National Intelligence Service chief Themistoklis Demiris testified before lawmakers ahead of Friday’s plenary debate on PASOK’s request for an investigative committee into the surveillance affair.
PASOK officials accused Parliament Speaker Nikitas Kaklamanis of suddenly raising concerns about leaks from the hearing in order to justify requiring an enhanced majority of 151 lawmakers to approve the inquiry, citing national security because the intelligence service was involved.
The dispute intensified after details emerged from comments by PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis during the closed session. Androulakis criticized Demiris for failing to comply with a unanimous ruling by Greece’s top administrative court requiring authorities to disclose the reasons for his surveillance.
