Scandal in the Greek Parliament! 'Confidential information was disclosed'

While the Greek Cypriot Assembly opened the property declarations of the members of parliament to the public, it was revealed that personal data, which must be kept confidential in accordance with the current legislation, was also published.

The public disclosure of information about MPs' spouses, dependent family members and minor children led to discussions in the Greek Parliament. In the statement made by the Greek Parliament after the incident emerged, it was accepted that some sections that should not be disclosed by law during the publication of asset declarations were uploaded to the website by mistake. The Parliament stated that the republication of the information in question was prohibited and announced that the documents were temporarily removed so that the necessary corrections could be made. The Greek press reported that 34 published asset declarations were withdrawn, but the documents remained accessible for hours and some information was also shared by media organizations.

INVESTIGATION INSTRUCTIONS

Greek Parliament Speaker Annita Dimitriu ordered an investigation into the error that led to personal data being disclosed to the public. Dimitriu asked the Parliament units to prepare a detailed report on how the incident occurred and to fully implement the relevant legislation. It was reported that the issue is expected to be discussed at the meeting of party leaders in the Parliament and the relevant parliamentary committee.

CALL FROM MPS FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

Following the development in the Greek Parliament, some MPs called for a criminal investigation, arguing that the incident should not be considered only as an administrative error. ALMA Movement Deputy Irini Haralambidu stated in the letter she sent to the Parliament Speaker and political party representatives that the parliament acted contrary to the legal regulations it adopted. Haralambidu stated that, in addition to the publication of personal information about spouses and minor children, the data was accessible until late on the night of October 20, despite the announcement that it had been withdrawn. Asking for the incident to be investigated in all its aspects, Haralambidu called for the identification of those responsible, the informing of the affected people and the establishment of new control mechanisms to prevent similar incidents from recurring. DISY Deputy Yorgos Pamboridis also pointed out that criminal liability may arise in the incident.

PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION COMMISSIONER TAKES ACTION

Greek Cypriot Administration of Personal Data Protection Commissioner Maria Hristofidu announced that the publication of personal data along with the asset declarations of MPs is under investigation. Hristofidu stated that the legislation allows the publication of asset declarations, but data on spouses, cohabitants, dependent family members and some private information of MPs cannot be made public.

While the Commissariat launched an investigation into the incident, it was reported that it was investigating how personal data was published and at what stages the necessary checks were not carried out.