Tourism Minister denies custody law change was designed for her case

The provision, introduced last month as a rider to a bill concerning the scandal-hit farm subsidy agency OPEKEPE, allows parents to request that a custody case be retried at first instance if they object to an initial ruling, bypassing the standard appeal process. Kefalogianni, who lost sole custody shortly before the provision was enacted, was the first to invoke it.

Her former husband, Minos Matsas, called the timing of the amendment an “amazing coincidence.”

Kefalogianni said she supported the legislation, along with 179 other MPs, “because I consider it correct and fair, guided by the best interests of children.” She acknowledged using the provision due to the “particularly difficult reality” her four-year-old children face, being required to change homes every two days—an arrangement she described as placing “intense pressure and a serious burden on their daily lives and mental balance.”

“As a mother, but also as a member of the government, I believe I do not have fewer rights than any other citizen because of my position,” she said, adding that her children’s “respect, protection and mental safety” are her “utmost priority.” She also emphasized that family matters “do not lend themselves to blackmail or political exploitation.”

Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis defended the measure, saying it had faced “no criticism” during the legislative process. “To blame this provision on a single politician, when it concerns the entire population and is something we should have regulated long ago, does an injustice to the regulation,” Floridis said, noting that it safeguards a fundamental right for citizens.