House speaker strengthens her hand

In a decision that is set to further enhance her influence as House speaker, albeit within the limits stipulated by the Parliament rule book, Zoe Constantopoulou has said she intends to reopen investigations into two high-profile corruption cases as head of the Special Permanent Committee on Institutions and Transparency.

The outspoken SYRIZA official, who already heads parliamentary committees on Greece?s public debt and its claims to WWII compensation from Germany, on Thursday issued an order for the transparency committee to re-examine the cases of the Siemens bribe scandal and the Lagarde list of suspected tax evaders.

Speaking in Parliament, Constantopoulou described the two cases as ?lingering scandals which still cast a shadow over the country?s public life.?