Gov't facing upheaval over TV license auction, Attica Bank

The government faced a deepening political crisis on Tuesday as Parliament's ethics committee was expected to summon State Minister Nikos Pappas and the four winners of a recent auction of television licenses and a senior cabinet member expressed serious concerns about one of the victors, the son of a construction magnate with leftist links who is under investigation for tax evasion.

Using a special provision in the House regulations, conservative New Democracy and the center-left Democratic Alignment convinced Parliament's transparency and ethics committee to call Pappas and the license winners to answer questions relating to the procedure of the competition, which fueled controversy.

Speaking earlier, ND deputy Makis Voridis accused the government of trying to cover up "leftist corruption." "There is a major issue of transparency," he said. Other opposition MPs...