The never ending SIEMENS Scandal – Part I:Mantelis tagged: , , , , , , ,

The never ending SIEMENS Scandal – Part I:Mantelis

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Politics

He tries hard to control his face mimic. He speaks to the press after appearing in front of  the judges investigating the SIEMENS bribery scandal. He is verging on tears. (video 0:12″) A minute later, emotions overwhelm him (video 1′:12″). ” I pay the price for saying the true” says Tasos Mantelis, ex Transport Minister. He is a broken man.

Why did Mantelis cry? Because A) he walks free? or B) he is ashamed ? To tell you the truth, I don’t know. He said, he  committed no crime…. He admitted to have accepted half a million DM from Siemens Hellas while he was in office. But he insists it was an elections campaign  “sponsorship” not a bribe (for approving state contracts with SIEMENS).

Yesterday, Monday, Tasos Mantelis was  -again – set temporarily free after a dispute between the magistrateand the prosecutor. Prosecutor demanded Mantelis’s detention, magistrateruled he should get just a bail of  € 200,000 and an order not to leave the country. So Tasos Mantelis walks around free, pending a decision on the Appeal Board . When will this come out? No idea….

Last May, ex-minister Mantelis  was charged with money laundering  and bribe.

I have written several posts in the past about the Mantelis  bribery-…. ops! sorry! sponsorship-case, so please read full details in Rocco and his Greek Brothers …or Relatives  and  Rocco is Here to Stay  .

The SIEMENS scandal broke in Greece 2008 and it involves corruption and bribery over deals between the German conglomerate  and  Greek government officials. Primarily it has to do with the purchase of the security system C4I for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games and purchases by OTE – National Telecommunications Company  in the 1990s. SIEMENS Hellas has allegedly generously distributed some  EUR 100.000.000  via their man in Greece, Michalis Christoforakos in order to secure state contracts. The investigation is still running ….

PM Papandreou’s socialist government is under strong pressure from the public to punish politicians involved in corruption scandals. Greeks suffering from IMF/EU imposed harsh austerity measures demand retribution and often criticize the  Justice for treating preferentially the politicians.