ADAE chief wards off gov’t criticism
The head of the privacy watchdog investigating the wiretapping affair has responded to criticism from the government which Tuesday accused him of overstepping his institutional boundaries.
In a statement Wednesday, Christos Rammos, chairman of the Hellenic Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (ADAE), said that his meeting with Alexis Tsipras Tuesday was held on the initiative of the leftist SYRIZA opposition leader.
Rammos added that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has so far not requested a meeting with him.
The ADAE chief emphasized that he harbors no political ambitions, while rejecting allegations that he seeks to influence political developments in the country as “deeply insulting [his] honour and reputation.”
On Tuesday, government spokesman Yiannis Oikonomou accused Rammos of seeking to become “a political factor in a sensitive period” and of “overstepping” his institutional responsibilities.
Oikonomou was reacting to reports that Rammos had provided Tsipras with a list of names of individuals who his agency say were placed under surveillance by the National Intelligence Service (EYP).
