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Theodoros Roussopoulos

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Theodoros Roussopoulos
Θεόδωρος Ρουσόπουλος
Minister of State
In office
10 March 2004 – 23 October 2008
Prime MinisterKostas Karamanlis
Preceded byDimitris Reppas
Succeeded byEvangelos Antonaros
Personal details
Born (1963-09-13) 13 September 1963 (age 61)
Messinia, Greece
Political partyNew Democracy (Greece)
SpouseMara Zaharea
Alma materThe University of Edinburgh
Hellenic Open University
Oxford Academy
Laboratory of Professional Journalism
WebsiteOfficial website

Theodoros Roussopoulos (Greek: Θεόδωρος Ρουσόπουλος; born 13 September 1963) is a Greek politician. He was Minister of State and Government Spokesman from 7 March 2004 until 23 October 2008, when he resigned after his involvement in a controversial land deal that has become a scandal engulfing the government.

Studies

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He studied at the private college Laboratory of Professional Journalism in Greece. He is a graduate of the Hellenic Open University and completed his PhD at The University of Edinburgh in 2014. His dissertation in history is about the ethnic identity of the Greeks in Venice. Identity Disputes and Politics at the End of The 17th Century is its title.

Career in Journalism

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His journalism career begin in 1981 in the daily newspaper Eleftherotypia, where he remained until 1994. During this time, he also contributed to the monthly Elle magazine. He is a founding member of Mega Channel TV station, for which he worked from 1989 to 1999 as an editor in chief and political analyst. He also produced the "7+7" documentary program. From 1987 to 1989, he contributed to Athena 98.4 FM radio station as a founding member and, in 1999, to Star Channel TV station. He has also contributed from 1994 to 1999 to Messimvrini newspaper and Kathimerini newspaper as an analyst. In 1987 he was a member of the committee of ethics at "Piraeus Channel 1" and he is currently a publisher at Enastron publications.

Political career

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His political career began in 2000 with his appointment as New Democracy Spokesman and Press Representative. After the 2004 general election, he was appointed as Minister of State and Government Spokesman by incoming Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis.

As Minister of State, Roussopoulos was responsible for the Secretariat General of Communication and the Secretariat General of Information, which, since its abolition in 2004, incorporated the functions of Ministry of the Press and Mass Media.[1]

In addition to his committee assignments, Rousopoulos has been a member of the Greek delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) since 2019.[2] In the Assembly, he serves on the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons (since 2019); the Sub-Committee on Refugee and Migrant Children and Young People (since 2022); the Sub-Committee on Diasporas and Integration (since 2022); the Sub-Committee on Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Human Beings (since 2022); and the Sub-Committee on Education, Youth and Sport (since 2019).[3]

In 2024, Roussopoulos, a member of the New Democracy delegation, was elected as President of the Assembly for a one-year term. Like the rest of his delegation, he is part of the European People's Party group within the Assembly.[4]

The Vatopedi scandal

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On October 23, 2008 the Vatopedi scandal prompted State Minister and government spokesperson Theodoros Roussopoulos to resign before Parliament's investigation.[5] Roussopoulos, criticized for his alleged role in a property exchange, cited a desire to defend himself against corruption allegations. New Democracy's decision not to participate in a vote on a preliminary judicial inquiry, ensuring its failure, added controversy.[6] An investigative committee, approved by Parliament, would examine potential government involvement. Roussopoulos, a former journalist, started his political career in 2000 and resigned amid scrutiny. Also, throughout the controversy his marriage to journalist Mara Zacharea faced ethical concerns. The situation sparked widespread condemnation and raised questions about political accountability.[7]

Years later, all parties involved were ultimately cleared of wrongdoing.[8] No convictions were handed down, except for Abbot Ephraim.[9] Nevertheless, there were concerns about the depth of the investigation into the money laundering allegations, as reported by various news sources.[10][11][12]

Career in the Academia

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From 1997 to 1999 he taught “Television & Politics: the debates between presidential candidates of parties and prime ministers” at the University of Athens as a teaching associate.[citation needed] Since 2009, he is a Lecturer at the Pepperdine University of California and he currently teaches Journalism as an adjunct professor at the European University of Cyprus since 2015.[citation needed]

Personal life

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He is married to the journalist Mara Zacharea (Μάρα Ζαχαρέα) and has two children, Vasilis and Anna.

References

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  1. ^ "Department history" Archived 2006-10-11 at the Wayback Machine, www.minpress.gr, accessed 16 December 2007.
  2. ^ Theodoros Rousopoulos Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
  3. ^ Theodoros Rousopoulos Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
  4. ^ "Theodoros Rousopoulos elected PACE President - Portal - www.coe.int". Portal. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  5. ^ "Minister resigns as ND dodges inquiry vote | eKathimerini.com". www.ekathimerini.com. 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  6. ^ "Greek minister quits over scandal". 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  7. ^ Carassava, Anthee (2008-10-26). "Land swap scandal threatens Greek leader". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  8. ^ "Θ. Ρουσόπουλος για Βατοπέδι: Οι συκοφαντίες κατέπεσαν". www.naftemporiki.gr (in Greek). 2017-03-21. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  9. ^ "Greece jails Abbot Ephraim in Mount Athos fraud case". BBC News. 2011-12-28. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  10. ^ NEWS 247 (2010-02-25). "Ξέπλενε "μαύρο χρήμα" η μονή Βατοπεδίου". News 24/7 (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-01-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Ιερές βαλίτσες με ζεστό χρήμα". ΤΑ ΝΕΑ (in Greek). 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  12. ^ Καλλιαγκοπουλου, Του Φ (2008-12-02). "Το Βατοπέδι ήλεγχε το 51% της «Ανθεμιάς»". Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-01-27.
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