The statement comes after Golden Dawn MPs publicly claimed that they have more damning secretly taped conversations between government officials and party members that they will release ‘when the time is right’.
That more recordings may come to light will surely concern the government that is working hard to shift the focus away from the debacle and resignation over the Prime Minister’s former right hand man.
While the New Democracy led government has tried to portray Mr Baltakos’s meetings with neo-fascist MPs as the actions of a rogue official, that narrative may unravel if more damning recordings are uncovered with other members of government. Many in Greece suspect that Mr Baltakos contact with Golden Dawn was part of a wider government strategy which saw the neo-fascists as potentially useful – if only initially. In the recording Mr Baltakos also implied that government ministers had illegally interfered in the judicial system over the prosecution of Golden Dawn, something that both the ministers and justice officials vehemently deny.
The statement from Supreme Court Prosecutor Efterpi Goutzamanis came after Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias sent the prosecutor’s office a file regarding the public statements made by the Golden Dawn MPs regarding additional secret recordings. She in turn transferred it to the Prosecutor of the Athens Court of First Instance, asking that it be included in the investigation to whether there had been instances of blackmail against members of the government or other political figures.
“If in the future anyone, and in any capacity, repeats the use of illegally obtained audio-visual materials the in flagrante arrest procedure shall be activated even if the culprit is an active MP,” Ms Goutzamanis said.
While the statement was clearly directed at Golden Dawn, it’s blanket nature raises questions as to what constitutes ‘illegally obtained material’ and whether to what extent journalists could be prosecuted for secret recordings even if their release was in the public interest.