Athens mayor accuses government of shielding corrupt building officials; ministry tells him to 'ask ChatGPT'

A sharp confrontation erupted on Saturday between the mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, and the Greek Interior Ministry, ignited by the government’s new Local Government Code. Doukas took to social media to denounce a provision he said would transfer building departments (Ypiresies Domisis) from municipalities to central state services, ostensibly to combat corruption. He directly linked the move to an unfolding scandal in which two ministry general secretaries have resigned, a former general secretary is implicated, high-ranking Decentralized Administration officials have been jailed, and 30 other individuals face charges.

“They put the wolf to guard the sheep.”

The mayor asked rhetorically whether those caught up in the scandal were the people who would now fight corruption.

The ministry hits back

Ministry sources responded within hours, accusing Doukas of 'complete ignorance of local government' and suggesting he 'study (or at least ask ChatGPT)' before commenting on the Code. They listed three legal provisions to refute the mayor’s claim: the competence table at point 6.2.1.8 explicitly states municipalities are responsible for implementing the Urban Planning and Spatial Planning Code; Article 97A of the Kallikratis law still applies to staffing of Building Services; and Article 317 of Law 5306/26, passed just the previous week, reiterates that building permits are issued by municipal Building Services unless otherwise specified.

“For yet another time we recommend that, before he refers to the Code, he study it (or at least ask ChatGPT).”

What the Code actually changes

The minister of the interior, Thodoris Livanos, had clarified on Thursday during the presentation of the Code to parliament that the legal framework governing Building Services remains unchanged. Still, the government has been working since autumn 2025 on a separate initiative to return building-permit issuance to central-government control from the municipalities. That plan has drawn strong opposition from the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE), which has warned it will appeal to the Council of State as soon as the first administrative act on Building Services is issued.

Political and legal stakes

The clash is unfolding against a backdrop of a major corruption investigation into building departments. Two general secretaries from different ministries resigned, one former general secretary is under investigation, senior Decentralized Administration officials have been remanded in custody, and 30 additional people have been charged. The scandal has given political ammunition to opponents of the government’s centralisation plans, even as the ministry insists the new Local Government Code preserves municipal authority on paper. KEDE’s threat of litigation at the country’s highest administrative court signals that the dispute is likely to move from social media posts to courtroom arguments.