Last June’s appointments of a chairman and deputy chairman at RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, following proposals made by the energy minister at the time, Panagiotis Lafazanis, had not gained the majority backing of a parliamentary committee, as is required by law, it has just been revealed.

This is made apparent by the content of a letter forwarded, at the time, by the former Speaker of Parliament, Zoe Constantopoulou, to inform the ex-minister of the results of a voting session carried out by the committee. The information was neglected by Lafazanis, who may now face legal charges following the disclosure, just made by the local weekly Proto Thema.

Eight members of a Parliamentary Commmittee on Institutions and Transparency, responsible for endorsing the candidates, voted in favor of the two officials – Nikos Boulaxis as chairman and Sotiris Manolkidis as deputy chairman – seven committee members voted against, while two members remained neutral, Constantopoulou’s letter had informed.

The committee voted on the appointments last June 5 amid the country’s heightened political turmoil, not long before the government’s bailout-related referendum.

Despite not having gained the committee’s required majority vote, the two officials are currently serving as RAE’s top officials. The disclosure could lead to their dismissals and repercussions, while all responsible at a political level question could also face questioning.