Opposition parties reacted with sarcastic venom to the announcement that the economist Stelios Pappas, father of Digital Policy Minister Nikos Pappas, has been appointed as the new president of the recently re-nationalised Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organization (OASTH).
SYRIZA, which came to power with a promise to break with the corruptive and nepotistic practices of the past, is now being accused of doing exactly the same.
Main opposition New Democracy party joked that Stelios Pappas was perhaps appointed through a lottery process, a reference to the government’s recent decision to select flag bearers in Greek primary schools through a lottery and not according to school achievement.
Stavros Theodorakis, leader of the centrist Potami party, said sarcastically that according to his information Pappas’ appointment was secured after an objective and fair… lottery
In a message on Twitter, New Democracy vice president Adonis Georgiadis said that the controversial appointment “showed that [SYRIZA officials] never really believed what they said and this is not [German Finance Minister Wolfgang] Schaeuble’s fault.”
Government officials responded to the criticism saying that Nikos Papas is a respected economist, who will perform his duty to purge OASTH of corruption.
They also added that Pappas will not be paid for his job.
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