High tones and intense confrontation took place between the ND parliamentary representative, Thanos Pleuris and the SYRIZA MP Pavlos Polakison the occasion of what was supported by Minister of Justice, George Floridisfor the criminal codes passed by the SYRIZA government in 2019.

The ND parliamentary representative, Thanos Pleurischaracterized as unacceptable and provocative the criticisms of SYRIZA MPs against Mr. Floridis, whom they attributed to far-right speech.

For his part, Mr. Polakis accused him of obscene lies against SYRIZA.

“I ask: What was the reason you made active bribery a felony a misdemeanor? What was the jurisdictional reason that cases like Siemens, the submarines, were tried in your day and the offenses of those that were felonies were barred? A week before the 2019 elections, the government of Alexis Tsipras with Mr. Kalogirou as Minister of Justice was the one that voted for him. And I ask: Are you proud that a number of defendants who were found by the courts to be found guilty had the offenses barred by active bribery. So don’t give us lessons about penalties”, said Mr. Pleuris and added:

“The fact that bribery went from a misdemeanor to a felony is something that will weigh heavily on you. And I don’t believe that a proposal was made, with open criminal cases, the biggest scandals that have occupied the country, to be tried and cleared a week before the elections”.

“We believe that there was a context of such relaxation of penalties, where the specific and general prevention that should exist was completely lost. There was no sense of those on trial that they would be condemned. You made a criminal code that if someone didn’t get life, they would get out in five years at the most. And we come to fix them. Because these side effects are paid even today, because the most favorable law is applied. And today, those who go to court, people who have committed crimes drink water in the name of SYRIZA. You are responsible for this and you should support the changes that finally want to restore a criminal framework balanced by a framework of justice”, concluded Mr. Pleuris

His deputy reacted strongly SYRIZAPavlos Polakis, accusing Mr. Pleuris of telling obscene lies to justify the far-right speech of the Minister of Justice.

“I felt deeply offended by the lies you told Mr. Pleuris. You are lying. You are lying. The lighter sentences and conversion of the felony to a misdemeanor passed at the time applied to public servants, not to political figures for whom the same law remained. And it concerned the one he was getting to issue a permit to the Town Planning Office more quickly.

You know this very well, Mr. Pleuris, you are a good lawyer, you are not a scumbag. You came here and told obscene lies about what SYRIZA did then, in order to justify the far-right speech within a former PASOK minister who has become the prime minister’s therapy”, Mr. Polakis objected.

“Passive bribery is always for the public servant. The one who gave them, is active bribery and the one who took the suitcase and went and oiled, became a misdemeanor for everyone. But because I respect legal science, I would ask any lawyer from SYRIZA to take Mr. Polakis out and tell him how many people shunned it with the law they voted for,” commented Mr. Pleuris.