New Democracy demands answers from Tsipras over Venezuelan ties

Members of the New Democracy party are demanding explanations from former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras regarding allegations of secret meetings with officials from the Venezuelan regime. Following a report by ‘Eleftheros Typos’, spokesperson Alexandra Sdoukou called for transparency concerning a purported June 2012 meeting in Athens between Tsipras and two envoys of Nicolas Maduro.

Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis also criticized the former Prime Minister, citing testimony from a former Venezuelan official. The witness, who reportedly spoke to journalist Iasonas Pipinis, claims that the meeting involved the then-Deputy Minister of European Affairs, Temir Poras Ponceleon, and the Venezuelan Ambassador to the UK, Samuel Moncada. The witness further alleges that a black suitcase was handed over during the encounter and claims to have informed the CIA about the matter.

Additionally, New Democracy has raised questions regarding reports that Venezuelan government aircraft landed in Greece at least three times between 2018 and 2019 without official announcement. The party is seeking clarification on whether any financial assistance or commitments were made to the SYRIZA party by the Venezuelan administration.