“Obviously it was a mistake” answered Stefanos Kasselakis in his interview with MEGA about the law passed by SYRIZA in 2016 excluding party leaders and political figures in general (ministers, MPs, MEPs, etc.) from participating in any company based abroad and his answer was inevitable to generate reactions. Especially since the president of the official opposition called Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the fact that while “he had 5 years to change the law”, he did not start the process of repealing it.
The government of Alexis Tsipras brought that bill to Parliament eight years ago with the aim of removing any shadow over the political system and “let everyone face their responsibilities” – as the former prime minister had said.
The Tsipras Law
What exactly did that provision of the famous article 8 provide? That “to the Prime Minister, the Leaders of the political parties represented in the National or the European Parliament, as well as those who receive state funding, the Ministers, deputy ministers and Deputy Ministers, MPs and MEPs and those who manage the finances of the political parties as above, the General and Special Secretaries of the Parliament and the General Government, the regional governors and the Mayors are prohibited from participating in the management or the capital of companies, which have their actual or statutory headquarters abroad, either in person or with substitute persons”.
Now, Mr. Kasselakis, although he informed that he has already transferred all his shares and that he will pay whatever fine is due to him if he is found irregular by the Justice given the prosecutor’s investigation that has been ordered for the financial facility to SYRIZA, expressed indirectly but clearly the view that he would consent to a modification of the framework – and possibly to its abolition. Under the condition, of course, that it will not allow involvement in offshore companies based in tax havens, as “this law was created so that Greek politicians do not take black money out, not so that expatriates put white money in”describing himself as completely law-abiding.
Mitsotakis: “Law for specific reasons”
Kyriakos Mitsotakis had already raised the issue, after a question, telling SKAI that this law “he didn’t have much sense” when it came to Parliament and was voted by the majority. And that’s because “it was done for very specific reasons”.
He and his wife, Mareva Grabovski, of course, adapted to the current framework and he requested the same from Stefanos Kasselakis after the publications of the last twenty days about his professional activities in the United States. And if the prime minister did not openly raise the issue of repealing the Tsipras law, he did not hide his objections to what should apply and what should not.
For his part, the government representative, Pavlos Marinakis, as the one who persistently asked for answers about the lobster boats of Stefanos Kasselakis, was content to say on Thursday that “we are not replacing the authorities or the Commission in any way. We are not SYRIZA”. In essence, however, it left suspicions about Koumoundourou’s overall stance on the matter, which under Tsipras passes a law and calls for absolute implementation, but under Kasselakis appears to be the opposite and seeks exceptions.
Doudonis: “We will not be hasty”
The first reaction of PaSoK on the issue was expressed by him Panagiotis Doudonis. Speaking on the radio of the Parapolitics, the State Member of Parliament said that no new law proposal is going to be submitted from Harilaou Trikoupi. “We will not be in a hurry” he characteristically commented and added that “if we enter into a discussion we will discuss it”.
However, he asked for more answers from Stefanos Kasselakis, both about where and how. “When it is such an emblematic law of SYRIZA, Mr. Kasselakis must know it when he is president, unless he knows nothing. In general, regarding Mr. Kasselakis’ financial situation and business activity, we need to have more knowledge, he is the leader of the Official opposition. It is not possible for us to be in the dark about this matter. He must tell us more, we will not condemn him because he is rich, but we must know what his activities are.”
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