MPs enlist help on wiretaps
Opposition MPs yesterday called on Parliament Speaker Anna Psarouda-Benaki to help them in their efforts to extend the work of the committee investigating the phone-tapping scandal even though the New Democracy deputies, who hold a majority on the body, have brought the panel’s activities to an end. Shortly before the parliamentary committee on transparency was due to meet yesterday, MPs representing PASOK, Synaspismos Left Coalition and the Communist party approached Psarouda-Benaki and asked her to intervene to allow the deputies, who make up 40 percent of the committee, to fulfill their request. Opposition deputies want to question the former head of the police’s anti-terrorist squad, Stelios Syros, and a member of the family of Costas Tsalikidis, the late Vodafone software engineer who was linked to the secret tapping of government mobile phones. Conservative MPs said the committee would not glean any new information by questioning more witnesses.
