24.1.13
It appears that the parliamentary committee appointed to examine the “Lagarde List” scandal will not have an easy task, as disputes and tension rose between committee members on their first day.
SYRIZA’s Zoi Konstantopoulou has made a series of demands, such as that witnesses are videotaped, so that their body language can be examined, as well as to avoid situations such as when Mr. Venizelos was handed a note by a PASOK employee during a Institutions and Transparency Parliamentary Committee testimony. Mr. Venizelos claimed the note was a reminder for his medication, which Mrs. Konstantopoulou disputed.
The SYRIZA MP has also questioned the choice of parliament employees to take proceedings, considering the degree of secrecy that can be ensured. The Golden Dawn MP Ilias Kasidiaris is thought to have agreed to these suggestions.
New Democracy is expected to ask that witnesses appear in chronological order, starting with the summoning of former head of Central Intelligence K. Bikas. Mr. Bikas allegedly informed then-Minister of Finances Giorgos Papakonstantinou that French authorities have a list of Swiss bank accounts, some of which belong to Greek citizens.
Mrs. Konstantopoulou openly criticized the appointment of Christos Markogiannakis as president of the Committee, questioning his integrity “when he has been stating in interviews all these days, accusing [SYRIZA] of wanting to turn the Committee into a boxing ring or arena”.
She also added that “all parliamentary Committees have acquitted everyone”. New Democracy MP Miltiadis Varvitsiotis reacted to the last comment, referring to Mrs. Konstantopoulou’s father role in the case of PASOK founder Andreas Papandreou’s indictment in 1989.
