Former Culture Ministry general secretary Christos Zachopoulos, who tried to commit suicide last December, told authorities yesterday that he was being blackmailed when he attempted to take his own life.

After being in hospital for 103 days due to his attempted suicide, Zachopoulos gave evidence to magistrate Dimitris Oikonomou and prosecutor Constantinos Bardakis for more than two hours.

Sources said that Zachopoulos told the pair that his former assistant, Evi Tsekou, was blackmailing him over an affair they had been having.

Zachopoulos claimed Tsekou demanded money to prevent publication of video footage of the two having sex and that she also demanded a permanent position at the ministry. The only way out was suicide, Zachopoulos said.