“For political forces to comment on judicial decisions based on their partisan interest puts us on a dangerous path. The institutions are not a game,” said among others the MP for Serres and Secretary of International Relations and EU of the New Democracy, Mr. Tasos Hadjivassiliou, speaking to SKAI on Tuesday morning, referring to the decision of the Supreme Court not to withdraw the case of wiretapping from the file.
Hatzivassiliou stressed that it is the right of every party to act as it wishes, but noted that treating court decisions according to whether or not they serve the party narrative is dangerous logic. As he said, there is a selective attitude towards the judiciary by the opposition, based on the political interests of each party. In this context, he criticised PASOK and SYRIZA, noting that their public statements had called for a change in the decision. “They question the independence of the judiciary. Are these things really serious? Do these people want to rule the country tomorrow morning? Isn’t the institutions a game?” the former Deputy Foreign Minister said emphatically.
At the same time, when asked about former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, he said that when he talks about the instrumentalization of justice, he reminds everyone of what had happened under SYRIZA, such as the Novartis plot and the special courts.
As he said, the Prosecutor of the Supreme Court evaluated a decision of a Plenary Court and judged the case, stressing that it is problematic for political forces to characterize the court decision based on their party narrative.
In this context, he pointed out that prosecutor Konstantinos Tzavellas was not appointed by the government, but was elected first in votes by the Supreme Court’s plenary session. “Tzavellas was essentially the recommendation of the judiciary itself to the Council of Ministers,”
For the European Public Prosecutor
Mr.Hadjivassiliou also referred to the OPEKEPE case and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, noting that the government was the one that from the very first moment supported in practice the institution of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and continues to do so. He stressed that the 13 New Democracy MPs under scrutiny have requested the lifting of their immunity, without asterisks, adding that this is the greatest proof that government MPs respect the institutions and above all trust the Greek judiciary.
Greece builds partnerships, not anti-Turkish fronts
In terms of Greece-France relations and Ankara’s rhetoric following Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Athens, Mr. Hatzivassiliou stressed that Greece is not building fronts with the prefix “against” but partnerships based on regional stability and mutual service of national interests.
As he noted, Turkey is reproducing the narrative of its encirclement because it is popular with Turkish public opinion, while Greece, through its cooperation with countries such as France, Cyprus, Israel and Gulf states, is investing in stability and not in anti-Turkish alliances.
