The Blue Skies scandal that has recently gripped public opinion in Greece was once again picked up by a foreign media outlet, this time Euractiv.com.
The affair rocked the Greek government and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with allegations of a triangular conflict of interest involving the funneling of money from ruling New Democracy (ND) via advertising firm Blue Skies to a media propaganda account on social platforms called “Group of Truth” that employed some officials from New Democracy and acted as a purveyor of the ruling party’s line and an attack dog against Mitsotakis’s political opponents. The matter had initially been covered by the French La Liberation and the English site Politico.
This time Euractiv.com went a step further, not only pointing out the details of the Blue Skies scandal but citing sources according to which some party officials were already chattering about Mitsotakis’s successor.
The media outlet, in its analysis, suggests Mitsotakis was no stranger to scandals, listing the two most recent: the Tempi Train Crash in 2023 and the Predator spyware scandal.
“Remember Predator? A reference to spyware of the same name, the affair involved allegations that members of Mitsotakis’ inner circle had spied on political rivals and journalists. That train wreck was followed by an actual one in 2023 that left 57 dead under circumstances that have yet to be fully clarified,” it notes.
The story traces back to 2016, as reported by Euractiv, when Kyriakos Mitsotakis had just taken the helm of Greece’s center-right New Democracy party, then in opposition. The party, ousted from power by the leftist SYRIZA, was grappling with dire straits amid Greece’s debt crisis and a severe cash shortage. This made assembling a robust team to propel New Democracy back to power an even steeper challenge.
Yet, “according to a series of recent reports in Greek media, the party tackled the issue by placing key members of Mitsotakis’s staff on the payroll of an Athens-based external advertising firm named Blue Skies,” Euractiv notes.
Any clandestine funding of a political party would be unacceptable in Greece, where parties are publicly financed based on their electoral performance, as Euractiv explains.
It further highlights that what makes the story “potentially explosive for Mitsotakis” is Documento’s revelation that certain staff members working for New Democracy, while reportedly on Blue Skies’ payroll, went on to secure key positions in his government following his 2019 election victory.
Regarding Mitsotakis’s stance, the outlet writes that “he backed the ‘Truth Team,’ admitting it is ideologically very close to New Democracy, while insisting it ‘maintains full independence.’”
It also notes that “Greek justice has yet to investigate the matter, a reality many observers say reflects the deep influence of the involved oligarchs.”
Additionally, Euractiv reveals that “at the EPP congress in Valencia, a Greek government official told Euractiv that while the domestic situation is challenging, there is an alternative to Mitsotakis,” referring to Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, though, as is well known, he is not the only “successor” vying for the prime ministerial role within the “blue” faction.
