Ex-minister, intelligence chief to be summoned by parliamentary committee

Parliament’s Institutions and Transparency Committee will be summoning former citizens’ protection minister Yiannis Panousis and the head of the National Intelligence Service (EYP), Yiannis Roubatis, to explain allegations by the former that he was threatened by officials in the previous SYRIZA government after failing to back their demands for specific legislation pertaining to public order and prison reform.

According to website vouliwatch.gr, the request to have Panousis and the head of EYP, which provided evidence allegedly backing the former minister’s claims, was put forward by New Democracy MP Yiannis Tragakis and former PASOK chief Evangelos Venizelos before being backed by the majority of the House.

Panousis on Monday submitted to the Supreme Court prosecutor’s office transcripts of telephone conversations allegedly between jailed terrorists and the SYRIZA officials he says were trying to replace him at the Citizens’ Protection Ministry. He also claims that these same officials were trying to replace Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos.