tagged: 13 ex-ministers, A SIEMENS scandal, former prime minister, Greece, parliamentary committee

SIEMENS scandals report triggers political storm in Greece

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Politics

A political storm broke up in Greece after a parliamentary committee decided to continue investigations on 13 former governmental  ministers in the Siemens cash-for-contracts scandal and released their names.

The committee recommended that five former ministers from (now governing party) PASOK, included ex prime minister Costas Simitis, and seven ex ministers from Nea Dimokratia (ND) should be investigated in connection with the purchase of  Siemens equipment by the state at overcharged prices.

The investigation sees political responsibilities mainly for OTE equipment, the security system C4I, and arms procurement.

Who for What

According to daily Proto Thema  online edition the Greek Politicians to be further investigated are:

For state-run telecommunications OTE – equipement: Tassos Mantelis, Christos Verelis and Nikos Christodoulakis (PASOK), Michalis Liapis and Giorgos Alogoskoufis (ND)

For state-run TrainOSE equipment: Chr. Verelis and M. Liapis

Security system C4I for Athens Olympic Games 2004: Yiannos Papantoniou (PASOK), Giorgos Voulgarakis, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Vyron Polydoras, Christos Markoyiannakis (ND)

SIEMENS electronic hand-held guides for museums: M. Liapis

Army procurement (Patriots, Hermes) Akis Tsochatzopoulos (PASOK)

Cover up:G. Alogoskoufis, Giannis Papathanasiou (ND).

Former transport minister Tassos Mantelis had already admitted to have accepted ‘sponsorships’ by Siemens, the German giant that used to bribe politicians all over the world in order to secure lucrative contracts

Media call the report a Flop

The findings have been released 11 months after the parliamentary committee started its works. Hundreds of witnesses have been questioned and thousands of hours have been spent on examining evidence, while negotiations and bargaining -on the names of those allegedly involved – between the two main governing parties PASOK and Nea Dimokratia lasted up to the last minute.

Greek media and small political parties downgraded the parliamentary investigation report as “Flop” and “Tragicomedy” as the SIEMENS findings fail to provide any serious insight  into how the officials accepted bribes from the Greek branch of SIEMENS and the run-away former chief Michalis Christoforakos. Another point of criticism is that none of the 13 politicians is currently active in political life.

“Furthermore, only 2 of the 13 identified former ministers could possibly face actions as the statute of time limitations applies to any offenses they may have committed. Only Pavlopoulos and Markoyiannakis, who served in the previous ND government (2007-2009) could be prosecuted.” (Kathimerini)

The report triggered a series of angry statements published by those whose names have been given to the press.

Common Greeks do not believe that any Greek politician will ever pay for having driven the country into the financial disaster, whether through overcharged state contracts or through uncontrolled overspending. The land-swaps Vatopedi Scandal, that recently cleared the involved former ministers due to statute limitations is a good example that politicians who harm the country at the end walk care- and punishment free. The only price they pay is the standstill of their active life in politics. 

Read More on the SIEMENS scandal in Keep Talking Greece