ATHENS, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Greek government announced a minor reshuffle on Thursday, appointing three new deputy ministers following the resignation of Deputy Minister of Development Lazaros Tsavdaridis, according to an announcement by government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis.
Tsavdaridis resigned following allegations that his daughter had been improperly registered with a handball club to obtain bonus points in university admissions, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accepted his resignation, with government sources saying his explanations of the matter were insufficient.
Vasilis Spanakis, who previously served as deputy minister of interior, was appointed deputy minister of development, with responsibility for the General Secretariat of Commerce. Evangelos Liakos was named deputy minister of interior while Dimitris Vartzopoulos returned as deputy minister of health.
Vartzopoulos' return to the government comes about seven months after he resigned in April along with other officials amid an investigation into alleged irregularities involving the country's agricultural subsidy agency OPEKEPE and European Union funds.
Tsavdaridis denied wrongdoing, saying his daughter had secured university admission based solely on her performance in the national entrance examinations, without using any sports-related bonus points, according to local media reports.
The resignation comes amid growing scrutiny of Greece's university admission system for student athletes.
Marinakis said on Thursday that the prime minister had instructed the Education Ministry and the General Secretariat of Sports to review the current bonus-point system for university entrance exams and submit relevant legislation to parliament. ■