Greek opposition says gov't interfered in probe

Greece's main opposition Socialist party called Tuesday for the justice minister to step down for what it called interference in a major corruption probe involving land owned by a secluded Orthodox Christian monastery.

The demand followed the resignation of the two prosecutors investigating a tainted state-church land swap, which the Socialists allege cost Greek taxpayers tens of millions of euros.

The prosecutors said they had been barred by a senior judge from relaying their findings to parliament to examine alleged political involvement in the affair.

"Today, our judicial system has suffered an unprecedented blow," Socialist party spokesman Giorgos Papaconstantinou said.

Justice Minister Sotiris Hadzigakis ignored the opposition demand and refused to accept the prosecutors' resignation, exercising his right under Greek law to order them back to work.

The conservative government has come under growing pressure over land-swap agreements with a powerful Orthodox Christian monastery. Earlier this month, it canceled the deals and acknowledged they had hurt the public interest.

Greece's top public prosecutor has ordered an investigation into the deal, which prompted a minister to resign last month. An initial investigation last month found that the monastery benefited by at least euro100 million (US$138 million) from the swap.

Conservatives argue that the groundwork for the land deals was laid by previous Socialist government and claim their actions exposed the scandal.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis' conservative party won re-election in national polls last year but has a majority of two seats in parliament and recently slipped behind the Socialists in opinion polls.

The land swaps started after 1999, when the government recognized a claim to public land in northern Greece by the 1,000-year-old Vatopedi Monastery. The monastery is in the autonomous monastic community of Mount Athos in northern Greece.