The Curse of Greece’s Procurement: Endless Party with Public Money tagged: , , , , , ,

The Curse of Greece’s Procurement: Endless Party with Public Money

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Economy

What if Greek state registers are empty? What if the debt mountain is growing from moment to moment? What if low wagers and pensioners struggle each and every day to come along with their income contraction? Public servants’ and officials’ mentality won’t change. Those working in the public sector still believe that ‘public money is out there’ and is waiting for them to be spent. Lack of control and transparency, complex bureaucracy and malicious practices have been aiding the state to waste millions and billions of euros of public money for the shake and the enrichment of the few. Will things now change?

Greek newspaper Ethnos Sunday edition has a very informative report answering what millions of  Greeks ask: “Where did the public money go? “. In its report with title “Endless Party in Public Machinery” the newspaper reveals that millions if not billions of euros of public money have been being wasted through necessary but overcharged or often needless supplies.

And that these phenomena occurred not only in the past but also in times of strict austerity as applied by the International Monetary Fund!

 The newspaper reveals further that the huge amounts of euros used to land into private pockets (sometimes even into the pockets of public servants) for the supply of materials that in most cases remained stacked in warehouses or were never delivered.
 

Live your myth in Greece

Now I finally understand the Greek Tourism Office slogan “Live your myth in Greece”.  I thought it was a call to tourists but I was wrong! Reading the list of Ethnos, I can fully understand that the call was addressed to everyone who had the right connections to state officials and who could become rich in many ways.

Here are some of the ridiculus examples of public money waste, as listed by Ethnos newspaper:
 
A public organisation asked EUR 600,000 for the lease of 30 copy machines,  and another EUR 2,300,000 for the supply of mobile phones.
 
One single law mower would cost half a million euros.
 
2,000 mobile basketball baskets would be available for EUR 3,000,000 and 2,000 football grounds (5×5) EUR 3,200,000, thus for schools that had not the areas available!
 
300,000 euros was requested for men and women suits, and some more hundret thousands of euros for …fabrics.
 
Christmas decorations are also a very costly hobby for Greek municiaplities who need in the average EUR 80,000 – 100,000 only for lights.
 
A children’s joy in a playground can cost as bitter as 280,000 euros.
 
One of the debt-driven state-run enterpries DEKO wanted 2 million euros for milk, uniforms and printer ink. 
 
The big party seems to take place within the school system with institution to need EUR 10 millionfor items like blackboards, colour TVs, copy machines, ecetera.
 
Only recently Deputy Development Minister found at his desk the most expensive two paper pages he has  seen in his entire life. The request bearing the  ‘common procurement system’ was summarizing -apparently neccessary supplies- worth  EUR 900,000,000.
 
The newspaper claims that the party is over as the Development Ministry keeps an Argu’s eye on the public supplies.
 
Really? We’ll see… But the main point is public administration officials still believe they can use the public money according to their needs and the needs fo their friends.