Zoe Konstantopoulou, president of Plevsis Eleftheria, was diagnosed positive for the coronavirusas she announced in a letter to the president of the Parliament, Konstantinos Tasoula, informing him that she will be absent during today’s Conference of Presidents.

In her letter Ms. Konstantopoulou denounces the decision for today’s surprise, as he says, convening of the Conference, leaving tips for planning regarding the appointment of the new members of the ADAE.

“The planning of a Conference on such serious matters, such as the appointment of members of Independent Authorities, cannot be done suddenly or hastily” says Ms. Konstantopoulou.

The entire letter from Zoi Konstantopoulou:

I was informed yesterday and while I am sick with corona virus, due to which I cannot attend the Parliament (attachment certificate) that you are convening the Conference of Presidents today to propose and vote-appoint a new composition of the National Radio and Television Council and new members of the Security Authority Privacy of Communications.

This is happening at a time when our country and its citizens have been severely tested for weeks by multiple disastersand floods that are still raging today.

The planning of a Conference on such serious matters as the appointment of members of Independent Authorities it must not be done suddenly or hastily.

The study and sloppiness are also visible from the fact that within a few hours you changed your initial proposal, regarding some nominations (Triantafyllidis instead of Detsi for the ESR, Myridakis instead of Trakada for the ADAE).

Independent Authorities must be truly independent and not party controlled. Proceedings before the Conference of Presidents must be substantive and not procedural.

For today’s meeting you neither informed us nor sought our opinion. Not even for the nominations. Some faces are familiar, some are not. And some are known for their Party March in the SW.

In any case, the persons you propose should be heard by the Conference, which should act in the light and not in the background.

Just as with judicial officers, for whom the Conference has only advisory competence, much more so with the members of the Independent Authorities, those nominated by you should come to the Conference and be asked questions. But you have not included their hearing in the agenda.

We therefore assume that you have made some kind of behind-the-scenes deal, since you are already feeding the media the information that “You have secured the 3/5 majority” required.

Given the fact that the specific Independent Authorities are responsible for the Freedom of Information and Securing the Privacy of Communications, Top Rights in a State of Law, for the violation of which the Government is under scrutiny, it is obvious that this move is an attempt to manipulate the procedures before the Independent Authorities and in particular the Government’s control procedures for the Surveillance Scandal, through the Prime Minister’s Office and the EYP, but also for the issues of its interference in the freedom of information.

Because these issues are major in a Republic, as the Head of Freedom Sailing and Former Speaker of the Parliament, I declare to you that we do not agree with the process you have launched and I submit the following official requests, which I ask you to make at the Conference of Presidents:

1) To postpone today’s meetings

2) That the Committee on Institutions and Transparency of the Parliament, which is responsible for the issues of the Independent Authorities, be convened quickly and that the President of ADAE and the serving members of both Independent Authorities be called before it to inform the Committee before any retirement, on matters of their jurisdiction

3) To schedule a hearing of the proposed persons, after a legal invitation from us

4) Provide assurances and external guarantees that your move is not aimed at saving a desired result for the Government in the audit case of ADAE to EYP for the surveillance scandal.