Secretary of State to the Prime Minister and Government Spokesman Pavlos Marinakis addressed critical current affairs issues during an interview with Sky TV.
Regarding reports by PASOK President Nikos Androulakis about Intellexa’s connection with state agencies, Marinakis said the case is under the jurisdiction of the authorities. He noted that the Supreme Court has issued an order that “there is no liability of a state official” and that four individuals have been brought to justice.
The government spokesman added that “the judiciary has said in an order… that there was no state involvement” and attributed Androulakis’ attitude to an attempt to manage internal issues of his party. At the same time, he cited European reports that record Greece’s progress in the rule of law, stating that “on an institutional-legal level, what the government should have done… has done it.”
On the complaints concerning OPEKEPE, Marinakis said that no criminal responsibility for former ministers M. Voridis and L. Avgenakis has been established. He described the accusations as an attempt to target politicians without evidence, stating: “hanging someone on the pegs because he has only served as a minister … cannot be tolerated.”
In response to questions about Antonis Samaras’ criticisms of foreign policy, Mr. Marinakis noted that the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, “has gone way over the bar” and described the timing of the former Prime Minister’s intervention as “very, very wrong.”
On the economy, Marinakis stressed the government’s strategy to increase revenues through growth and lower tax rates. He acknowledged the pressure caused by accuracy, but noted that the country has moved away from the picture it had in 2015.
For the Easter period, he clarified that “there is no planning” for extraordinary benefits, stressing that any aid will be considered in the context of the Thessaloniki International Fair, with a view to fiscal stability.
Marinakis then reiterated his proposal to abolish anonymity on social media, aiming to tackle slander. He clarified that the proposal is not about banning pseudonyms, but about platforms having the real identity of the user.
“The platform will know that Christos Koutras is behind “Nemo”,” he said, explaining that this will allow the judiciary to intervene when offences are committed. In addition, he announced initiatives to restrict minors’ access to social networks, drawing a parallel with alcohol restrictions. He finally called for a joint effort to “take the hoods off” the digital environment.
