Politico: Varvitsiotis-Olympios' Blue Himmelkandal Spark's turmoil in Greece's ruling party

A political fire storm devours the prevailing New Democracy Party in Greece after a politically networked communication company Blue Skies was operated on as a hidden financing and propaganda vehicle for the government of Prime Minister Kyriako's Mitsotakis.

According to Politico, opposition parties, including Pasok, Syriza and the new left, are calling for an immediate judicial investigation into what they describe as a “shadow financing scandal” with a blue sky-a well-known branch of great public relations v+o. The company is accused of employing high-ranking new democracy officers in what critics orchestrating non-mentioned political financing and an online disinformation campaign to support the government.

A propaganda machine allegations

At the center of the controversy is the assertion that blue sky paid salaries for more than a dozen people who at the same time held important positions in the new democracy and actively acted as the hidden wing of the party. After reporting DocumentoOver half of the 57 listed employees of Blue Heaven had close political relationships with Mitsotakis or his inner circle, including Labor Minister Domna Mikhailidou, Deputy Minister of Transport Konstantinos Kyranakis, and Thatasis Bakolas, the outgoing general secretary of the European People's Party.

Critics claim that many of these people have used their role in the agency to coordinate online efforts that contained personal attacks against the government's critics -including grief of families of victims of the Tempi -Zugadastrophe 2023, Greece's fatal railway accident. A separate examination of Interior history Connected employees of Blue Skies with a controversial social media platform, which is known as a “Team Truth”, which has been accused of carrying out coordinated trolling campaigns.

“This is an extremely institutional aberration that undermines democracy,” said the new left -wing MP Nasos Iliopoulos and added that evidence indicates that public funds have indirectly supported the government's communication machine.

Pasok, the opposition's main party with a center-left opposition, has “answered the activities of this company and the connections between New Democracy, a propaganda machine and private companies, between which black political money seems to be produced and channeled”.

Government refusions and distractions

The Mitsotakis government has firmly refused any formal connection with a blue sky. The government's spokesman, Pavlos Marinakis, dismissed the allegations as the “relic of science fiction” and insisted that party members are free to work in the private sector while they were unpaid party roles.

“In the new democracy, a position in the party is not a job,” said Marinakis. “People work in the private sector. It is good that they do it. We want more experts who are involved in political life.”

Kyranakis confirmed that he worked for Blue Skies from 2016 to 2019 when he also worked as a deputy spokesman for the New Democracy. He claimed that he was a “normal employee who paid normally”. Government officers have so far refused to respond to specific questions about other employees who still appear on the agency's salary statement, such as Orsaki Rousnetou, a current member of the communication office of the Prime Minister.

Blue Heaven now denied all the allegations of misconduct and explained: “The criticism of indirect party finance does not correspond to reality.” The company said that it uses politically experienced employees, but this is a common industry practice. It also distanced itself from the activities of the “team truth” and claims that the company does not monitor the personal social media activities of its employees and convicted “any use of anonymity to cause damage or defamation”.

Nevertheless, Marinakis offered a rare public defense of the controversial online platform and explained: “I have great respect for you” and refused to participate.

Political Fallout and EU reaction

The scandal can quickly be exceeded across Greece's borders. The Syriza MP Kostas Arvanitis has asked the European Commission and the European Parliament to intervene, and warned that the allegations seriously damage the integrity of the democratic process of Greece.

“After so many revelations, we expect the immediate intervention of the responsible judicial authorities,” said Pasok in a statement.