A senior Greek government official resigned on Thursday due to alleged implication in the urban-planning bribery scandal. It is the second resignation of a secretary general of conservative ruling New Democracy party since Monday and in connection with this building licenses scandal.
The Secretary General of Culture Ministry, Giorgos Didaskalou, also resigned in the backdrop of the urban planning scandal.
It is the second resignation in just a couple of days in the shadow of the revelations about the urban planning scandal. It was preceded by the resignation of the Secretary General of the Environment Ministry, Efthimios Bakoyannis.
It is the second resignation in just 24 hours after the revelations about the urban planning, with those with knowledge to speak of a new major scandal for the New Democracy government after the OPEKEPE subsidies scandal..
George Didaskalou has been Secretary General of Culture, under Lina Mendoni, since 2019. As Secretary General of Culture, he presides over both the Central Archaeological Council (KAS) and the Central Council of Modern Monuments, supporting several projects of the Ministry of Culture that have been criticized, such as the cable car in Monemvasia, the wind turbines in the Valley of the Muses in Viotia, the paving on the Acropolis, etc. Before 2019, he served as Secretary General of the Municipality of Maroussi under the mayoralty of Giorgos Patoulis and was his close collaborator.
According to in.gr, at the same time he was serving in Marousi, the wife of his brother-in-law Efthimis Bakoyannis was also serving in the Urban Planning Department of the Municipality of Maroussi, who also submitted his resignation a few days ago.
Government sources confirmed Didaskalou’s resignation, stating that “some general secretaries who had been in the same position for many years were considered by the political leadership to have closed their circle and were asked to resign.”
“What is the matter with them that they are resigning?”
PASOK President Nikos Androulakis commented sharply on the new resignation.
“Within a few hours, we have an epidemic of resignations of general secretaries of New Democracy? After the revelation of a new scandal concerning urban planning. Will Mr. Mitsotakis give a response? Will Mr. Marinakis [gov’t spokesperson] respond? “What kind of ballast they have and they resign one after the other?” Androulakis said characteristically, speaking about the Rule of Law and denouncing scandals, cover-ups and impunity.
