Even if there is no hint of a scandal behind Christos Zachopoulos’s suicide attempt, light must be shed on every aspect of the affair and a number of crucial questions pertaining to it must be answered.

Who set up the mechanism of blackmail to ensnare the former general secretary of the Ministry of Culture? What were their political or unionist affiliations? Which journalists were involved in publicizing the controversial video footage? Did they do it in order to blackmail someone, to make money, or simply to increase their ratings? Who was the journalist who sent the DVD to the prime minister’s office and why? What does he or she expect to gain from this?

The only way to put a close to this sordid and filthy chapter of Greek politics is for the government, the justice system and the media to find the answers to these questions, and to find them fast. No one has a right to keep the public in the dark and no one is entitled to immunity from scrutiny. At the end of the day, this is not a matter of national security (at least so far) but a clear-cut case of blackmail.