Government spokesperson Paulos Marinakis responded to PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis’s claim of a “political assassination operation,” escalating the ongoing clash between the government and the main opposition party. The dispute centers on a property in Heraklion owned by Androulakis’s family and leased to the Hellenic Cadastre.
“Who Sows the Wind Reaps the Whirlwind”
Speaking on ANT1’s Kalimera Ellada on Friday, May 15, 2026, Marinakis said: “The phrase that best describes Mr. Androulakis’s conduct is ‘Who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind.’ As PASOK president and leader of the official opposition, he chose to lead with personal attacks. Just weeks ago, he didn’t stop at criticizing the prime minister — he targeted the prime minister’s family as well. He opted to turn political debate into an endless judicial discussion over matters already before the courts.”
Two Issues in Rapid Succession
Marinakis noted two recent developments: first, questions around Androulakis’s asset declaration (‘póthen éschēs’), and second, a newspaper report about the Heraklion property. On the former, he acknowledged that accountants can make mistakes — pointing out that Androulakis had filed similar declarations in previous years, either personally or through other accountants. “We didn’t issue any official statement,” Marinakis said. “We simply raised questions about why he holds part of his wealth abroad while advocating for stricter taxation of banks operating in Greece. He has already brought half of it back — he could bring all of it.”
He also referenced PASOK’s push for a pre-trial investigation into then-Minister of Justice Konstantinos Livano, triggered by a filing error made by another accountant — one who had fallen seriously ill and failed to submit declarations for 27 farmers entitled to payments. “Mr. Livano acted lawfully to resolve it,” Marinakis stressed. “Yet PASOK treated that as grounds for a pre-trial probe.”
“BYZAN” and the “Moufa Journalist”
Regarding the newspaper report — which Androulakis dismissed as coming from a “moufa journalist” — Marinakis said: “I only know one Katakouzenos: Konstantinos Katakouzenos, from the ‘Konstantinou & Elenis’ law firm. In one episode, we saw the ‘BYZAN’ party — founded by Konstantinos Katakouzenos. If PASOK continues responding this way, it will share BYZAN’s fate. I don’t know of any journalist named Katakouzenos — though someone may have published an unsigned or pseudonymous article.”
No Grey Zones in the Aegean
On recent comments by PASOK MEP Nikolaos Farantouris regarding Greek-Turkish relations, Marinakis stated firmly: “No part of the Aegean is being ‘grey-zoned.’ A phrase can be isolated from its context by opponents and weaponized. No state action, legislation, or initiative — in and of itself — produces legal effect under international or maritime law. That’s just ‘what we might say,’ not what changes reality. I don’t underestimate the risk — which is why, from the outset, I gave a clear answer on behalf of the government: such rhetoric yields no legal consequence. Real results come from concrete actions — like our own, for example, the marine spatial planning framework.”
The interview concluded with a reference to the European Union’s formal recognition of Greece’s outermost maritime limits — a point Marinakis cited as reinforcing Greece’s sovereign rights.