On 27 August 2007, PASOK leader George Papandreou accused the government of insinuating that his party is involved in the fires and called on Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis to produce any evidence that would support there was such an organized plan. Heavy criticism directed towards the government for its handling of the crisis, with the Greek press forming a chorus in ridiculing the incompetence of the country's officials, was accentuated in September by the reported discovery of steps aimed at giving a green light to property developers in the ravaged region.