Ultimately, Panos Kammenos forwarded to the “American factor” the favor requested of him by the alleged mastermind of the Cretan mafia concerning the election of the Metropolitan of Kydonia and Apokoronas.

As emerges from their second conversation—recorded by the police surveillance unit and included in the voluminous case file—the former minister assures his interlocutor that he sent it straight on: “We gave it right away… I gave it to Trump’s staff… done”, apparently to secure a more certain outcome. The only reservation Kammenos voices is: “Unless the commander of the American base at Souda is a Democrat… and reacts because of that…”

This new recorded conversation contradicts Kammenos, who, after the first tape was made public, had claimed: “I never spoke with the archimandrite, never helped him, never picked up the phone again.”

It also undermines his claim that he didn’t know the hotelier—accused of being the mafia boss—very well, since their dialogue is strikingly familiar, with terms of endearment such as “my big president,” “my love,” “I’ll come down there,” or suggesting they “go for some fish” together with the aspiring metropolitan—arrangements that Kammenos himself promised to organize. The second conversation took place after Kammenos had returned from the U.S. to Greece and, as he said, was “talking with the outside.”

The transcript raises yet another serious issue—perhaps even more serious than the discussions on the bishopric appointment. From the people mentioned in the conversation and the positions attributed to them, it appears, according to their words, that Kammenos’s surveillance in a hotel in Kolymvari, Chania, happened during the SYRIZA–ANEL government. The question of who was monitoring Kammenos at that time, and why, has now entered public debate and clearly demands an answer.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: I’m telling you now, because I was yours, and openly they’ve f***ed me.

Kammenos: Why, what did they do to me? They didn’t chase me?

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Fifteen trials, and I was acquitted in all of them, f***, all of them. That one, that m*** I had put my hand on, the one who put bugs in your hotel, the police director, they still have him, they still don’t have the f***.

Kammenos: Yeah, where is he?

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: They took him to Rethymno, the police director Chinos, and made him a brigadier. F*** his son, they made him brigadier, took him from Chania and went to Rethymno. And he gave me ten trials then because of you, and I was acquitted in all. But I want to tell you, they still have that m***.

Kammenos: Did you sue him? Did you sue him?

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Yeah, I did, but they canceled all of them and turned it back on me afterward. You know them. The corrupt one, […] you don’t know.

Kammenos: Seriously? Since you won the criminal case, why?

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: The man was a m*** back then when I put my hand on him, and I say, f*** son, you went and put where we cut the brigadier Georgakakis. Remember?

Kammenos: Yes, how could I forget.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Yeah, f***, I told him, I say, can you put the minister, I say, f*** son and stuff. Since then, he’s fed me. But okay, f them. Listen, yesterday again, luckily, he issued this f***ing announcement with the minister because Androulakis opposes him here, for our archimandrite, and the ministry issued a statement in the newspaper; I’ll send it to you soon, via Viber or WhatsApp, which one do you see?

Kammenos: Both.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Okay, they issued a statement that no, he won’t stay, he’ll be firm, that it seems our man is going to stay. Now you need to push for our man, the Metropolitan of Chania. Later, there are other matters. I’ll tell you more.

Kammenos: Who should I push?

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: At the American base. Because… the American base is in charge. Because…

Kammenos: Did we give it to them there? I gave them that.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Yes, yes, that, that. Secondly, when should I call our Metropolitan to come up? Tell me when to call him so we can come to Athens.

Kammenos: I just came back from America.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Yes, let’s go one day to have a meal, f***, let’s eat our fish, talk.

Kammenos: I came for a few days to see Elena and the kids in Ermioni.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Great.

Kammenos: I’ll come down the first or second of the month, I’ll be there.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: 1–2 of the month. Great, let’s talk. If we’re going down afterward.

Kammenos: Yes.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Let’s go eat our fish, you’ll meet him. The man is ours.

Kammenos: I’ll arrange it. Don’t worry about anything. Just tell me when you’ll come so I can pick you up at the airport.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Okay. Alright, president. Alright, my love, did we give this to the Americans?

Kammenos: When you told me, right away.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Done. Then we’re OK.

Kammenos: The issue is that over there there are different offices. I gave it to Trump’s staff.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Okay, if you gave it there, we’re good.

Kammenos: Yes. The thing is it must go to the military command, and the commander, if he’s not a Democrat… of Souda.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Okay, okay.

Kammenos: Because they’re also m***. They’re Democrats.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Okay, my president. Listen. Next week, as we said, when you return, we’ll do as you said. Now I’ll find him, call you, say hi, and you tell him this.

Kammenos: Call me in the morning because now I start talking with outsiders at this hour.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Okay, what time should I call you tomorrow to shout at him to come sit with us and talk?

Kammenos: Whenever you want in the morning, after six or seven. Whatever you want. You know my schedule.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Okay, big president, and remember, the m*** who opposed us was Chinos, Paraskevas, now in Rethymno, Police Director. Remember.

Kammenos: Listen to that f***. I remember, you put the bugs.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Curtains, don’t you remember? Curtains, when I called you and said, don’t do anything at the hotel. Ha ha ha.

Kammenos: The m*** even put them in the curtains, also in the lamps.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Yes, yes, yes.

Kammenos: And in the sockets.

Brain of the Cretan Mafia: Yes, yes, yes, yes.