Pavlos Polakis

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras sought on Wednesday to shift attention from a mini political crisis involving Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis, who is being investigated after reportedly recording and leaking a conversation with Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras.

SYRIZA's unofficial "general prosecutor", who was threatening everyone and everything when it was announced that a prosecutor had ordered an inquiry into who recorded and leaked his conversation with Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras, suddenly hastened to belie himself.

Reports on Tuesday that Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis taped a conversation with Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras further poisoned the political atmosphere amid increasing speculation about a snap election. 

Reports on Tuesday that Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis taped a conversation with Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras further poisoned the political atmosphere amid increasing speculation about a snap election. 

The prime minister's office on Tuesday responded to the alleged taping of central banker Yannis Stournaras by Alternate Minister Pavlos Polakis, saying it has always respected the independence of the Bank of Greece "even when its governor has expressed different views on crucial issues of economic policy."

The head of the Athens Lower Court Prosecutor's Office, Vangelis Ioannidis, today ordered an investigation regarding the publication by a media outlet of a telephone conversation between Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis and Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras.

The head of the Athens prosecutor's office, Evangelos Ioannidis, on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the alleged taping by Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis of a private phone conversation with Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras.

Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras has lashed out at Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis, who handed over to the government-friendly newspaper Documento a transcript of a conversation he had with the country's central banker regarding a probe of a 100,000 euro loan he was issued by Attica Bank.

European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas on Tuesday stressed that the independence of central banks is safeguarded by European legislation and that member states have an obligation to respect this independence and allow central banks to do their jobs.

Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras on Tuesday called for a judicial intervention over the publication by Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis of an "unauthorized" recording of a telephone call from the latter to the former.