Michael Liapis (curler)
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Michalis Liapis ( el, Μιχάλης Λιάπης; born 8 May 1951) is a former Greek New Democracy politician and minister. Liapis was born in
Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
to Konstantinos Liapis, a lawyer, and Antigoni Karamanli (1921–2010). His mother was a younger sister of Konstantinos Karamanlis, who was four times prime minister and twice president of Greece. This means that Liapis is a nephew as well as a first cousin to former prime ministers, the latter being
Kostas Karamanlis Konstantinos A. Karamanlis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Αλεξάνδρου Καραμανλής; born 14 September 1956), commonly known as Kostas Karamanlis ( el, Κώστας Καραμανλής, ), is a Greek politician who served as the ...
. A graduate of the schools of law and political science of the University of Athens, Liapis attended postgraduate studies in law in Paris. He later qualified and practised as a lawyer in Greece.


Political career

Following the restoration of democracy after the fall of the Regime of the Colonels, Liapis played a leading role in the establishment of
ONNED The Youth Organisation of New Democracy ( el, Οργάνωση Νέων Νέας Δημοκρατίας, ΟΝΝΕΔ) is the youth organisation of the liberal Greek political party New Democracy. It was founded in 1974 by young members of New Democr ...
, New Democracy's youth wing. In 1977 he was appointed special advisor on communications and public relations matters at the prime minister's office, whose incumbent was his uncle Konstantinos Karamanlis. In 1980, upon the election of Konstantinos Karamanlis as
President of Greece The president of Greece, officially the President of the Hellenic Republic ( el, Πρόεδρος της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας, Próedros tis Ellinikís Dimokratías), commonly referred to in Greek as the President of the Rep ...
, he was appointed director of the President's private office. Liapis retained that position until 1985, when Karamanlis' tenure ended. He was first elected a member of the Greek Parliament in the 1985 general election, when he was returned for the Greater Athens (B) constituency on the New Democracy ticket. He was reelected at every election until the 2007 general electionbr>
He kept his seat until 2009, when he announced that he would not contest that year's 2009 Greek legislative election, snap election. From December 1992 to October 1993, he was Deputy Minister for Trade. In March 2004 he was appointed Minister for Transport and Communications. In September 2007 he was appointed
Minister for Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizat ...
, a position he held until January 2009. He is the author of three political books: "For a radical Renewal", "For a New Morality" and "For a Creative Overthrow". He is fluent in French and English. He is married with a son and a daughter.


Arrest

On 17 December 2013, Liapis was arrested in Athens after he was found driving a luxury jeep with bogus number plates, for which he also had no insurance. Police had performed a check on his vehicle after he had failed to halt at a stop sign. It subsequently emerged that Liapis had handed the real license plates into the tax office in August of that year to avoid an estimated €1,320 in road taxes. Liapis was immediately fined €780 for driving an uninsured vehicle and other offences. He was due to stand trial on misdemeanour charges on 19 December, but that was postponed until 30 December. If convicted, faces a suspended jail sentence of between six months to five years. In a statement issued on December 19, New Democracy announced that it had expelled Liapis from the party.


References


External links


Culture ministry profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liapis, Michalis 1951 births Living people Greek MPs 1985–1989 Greek MPs 1989 (June–November) Greek MPs 1989–1990 Greek MPs 1990–1993 Greek MPs 1993–1996 Greek MPs 1996–2000 Greek MPs 2000–2004 Greek MPs 2004–2007 Greek MPs 2007–2009 New Democracy (Greece) politicians National and Kapodistrian University of Athens alumni Greek politicians convicted of crimes 20th-century Greek lawyers Culture ministers of Greece Karamanlis family Politicians from Athens Ministers of Transport and Communications of Greece