Shipyards, Submarines, and the Blame Game

The row started when Mr. Tsipras stated that SYRIZA will ask for a parliamentary inquiry committee into the issue and characterized the 2010 submarine contract scandalous. This highlighted responsibilities for current foreign minister and then defense minister Evangelos Venizelos, and then finance minister Giorgos Papakonstantinou.

Mr Tsipras went as far as to cite as the reason for the SYRIZA request was that "it was not just Akis Tsohatzopoulos that embezzled public money."
In reply, defense minister Dimitris Avramopoulos noted that it was the right of the opposition to request a inquiry committee, adding that the present government had nothing to fear.

Mr. Avramopoulos noted that there wouldn't even be an issue if in the past certain persons had not moved "underwater" [his pun], adding that governments have no continuities as they are put in power, or dismissed by the electorate.

However, Mr. Venizelos became irate and counterlashed at both the main opposition and Mr. Avramopoulos. As he said ministers are not here to "play nice to the opposition," and accused Mr. Tsipras of harboring all the former political friends of Akis Tsohatzopoulos in his party.