Greece’s Personal Data Protection Authority (PDPA) announced on Tuesday that it had fined the ruling New Democracy (ND) party €40,000 for failing to adequately protect the personal data of hundreds of Greeks living abroad, following an investigation into the “email-gate” scandal.
The investigation was prompted by allegations that former New Democracy MEP Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou sent unsolicited emails to expatriates ahead of the European Parliament elections in June.
Additionally, the PDPA ordered two former ND officials—Nikos Theodoropoulos, the former Secretary for Diaspora Affairs, and Menios Koromilas, the Organizing Secretary of Local Government and Crisis Management—to each pay €10,000 for using and leaking a list of approximately 25,000 voters to Asimakopoulou.
The authority cleared former Interior Ministry General Secretary Michalis Stavrianoudakis of wrongdoing, stating that the leak originated from an unidentified individual. Stavrianoudakis had resigned following the public disclosure of the leak.
The PDPA also imposed a €400,000 fine on the Ministry of Interior and a €40,000 fine on Asimakopoulou for their roles in breaching data protection regulations. Asimakopoulou has appealed the fine, claiming it is excessive.
The case is currently under criminal investigation for potential violations of personal data laws.