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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 14-04-02
CONTENTS
[01] Government general secretary resigns over Golden Dawn furore
[01] Government general secretary resigns over Golden Dawn furore
Government general secretary Panagiotis Baltakos announced his
resignation on Wednesday, following the uproar provoked by claims made
in Parliament earlier the same day by far-right Golden Dawn (Chryssi
Avgi) MP Ilias Kasidiaris. Commenting on the news as he left the New
Democracy party's headquarters, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said
"I am not familiar with the issue but, if it's so, then Mr. Baltakos
has no place in the government."
While addressing Parliament on Wednesday, Kasidiaris read out dialogue
from an alleged secret video recording of a conversation between himself
and Baltakos, in which the government general secretary appeared to
admit that government directly interfered in the judicial handling of
the case concerning the far-right party.
"All the things said by me had the aim of ridding me of the pressures
directed at me by GD MPs, who accused me of taking part in a conspiracy
against them," Baltakos said in a written statement announcing his
resignation and apologising for the upheaval caused.
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