Corruptions allegations against Alternate Minister for Administrative Reform are shaking the Greek political world, with Minister Giorgos Katrougalos to deny the allegations and the opposition to demand his resignation.
According to Sunday newspaper To Vima, Katrougalos was representing as a lawyer fired civil servants and he had announced their rehiring after he became a minister.
To Vima published documents showing that the law firm where Giorgos Katrougalos was working was still signing such rehiring contracts even two days after the elections of January 25th – that is the day when Katrougalos became a minister.
The payment for the rehiring would be 12% of the disputed amount.
An excerpt of the allegations was uploaded on To Vima online Saturday afternoon.
In a statement, and later in a press conference Katrougalos rejected the allegations and tried to smooth the waves. He said that he gave up his work at the law company in summer 2014, after he was elected member of the European Parliament at the EU elections.
According to Katrougalos, the document published by To Vima did not refer to fired civil servants but to wages differences as despite the “unified payroll in the public administration” some civil servants did not receive the same salaries.
“If all this were true, I would not only resign, but I would leave the country or kill myself,” Katrougalos stressed in adding a dramatic tone at the press conference Saturday evening.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras reportedly demanded explanations by the alternate minister. Later, government sources spoke of “lies spread by the newspaper”, belonging to one of the oldest mainstream media group DOL.
Speaking to several television networks on Sunday, Katrougalos said that the document/contract published by To Vima referred to Law 2011 “unified payroll” and it is a typical case of payroll difference with the specific public servant claiming 8,000 euro.”
He vehemently rejected the allegations that he had signed contracts with public servants who were sacked or set in labor mobility scheme and that his draft to rehire some 3,900 civil servants had anything to do with his former work as lawyer.
Giorgos Katrougalos described the allegations as a “fabrication initiated by Nea Dimokratia and PASOK” with the aim to harm the “moral superiority of the government.” Furthermore he attacked the journalist who brought up the issue as “liar and slanderer.”
The journalist and Editor in Chief of To Vima, Vassilis Chiotis, said that on Monday he would ask for all the contracts signed by Katrougalos. Chiotis claimed that there were a total of 22 contracts signed between Katrougalos and fired civil servants.
Late Saturday, the government issued a non-paper speaking of 4 Lies and 1 Truth.
The non-paper describes among others as “lies” that Katrougalos was referred to as “being elected a member of the Parliament at the January 25th elections” and that the published contract was referring to a specific case of an employee at Salamina Shipyard.
On Sunday, Vassilis Chiotis claimed that Katrougalos’ firm submitted a contract on 27. January 2015. He assured that on Monday he will demand all contracts that were submitted by Katrougalos’ company to the Athens Bar Association.
Katrougalos was associate to a law firm from March 2012 to June 2014, he founded his own company in summer 2014 and suspended its operation on 27. January 2015, when he was appointed minister to the Greek coalition government SYRIZA-Intedependent Greeks.
To Vima notes that what Katrougalos did was not “illegal” but it was raising a question of “morals” asking whether he took advantage of his position as Minister.
The usual “mean Greeks” wonder whether the whole issue has to do with corruption scandals of the previous governments and the declared fight of the government against the local elites.
Και να σκεφθείτε πως όλα αυτά τα κάνει το ΒΗΜΑ,πριν ανακοινωθούν τα μέτρα για τις συχνότητες και η έρευνα για τα δάνεια των ΜΜΕ
— Kostas.Vaxevanis (@KostasVaxevanis) March 22, 2015
Translation: Just think all this is done by To Vima before the measures concerning the radio and television frequencies are being announced as well as the investigation concerning the loans to mass media.
PS moral question in an immoral world…
they(politisens) always suck Money.
they cannot do something else.
that are the People we vote for.
Special in Greece, be ashame!!!!
This has got be be bogus. No matter how crooked you might be, you don’t have people sign a contract that can’t be enforced (because it’s illegal) and which is going to send you to jail if discovered.
There are ways to do it and ways not to do it. The traditional US way is to have the bagman pick up the envelopes full of cash after everyone has cashed their check. No fuss, no muss, no inconvenient evidence.
Maybe it all comes down to this: http://www.transparency.org/cpi2014/results
I’m sure the Greek government would get all the assistance needed, if it agrees on a goal like “being in the top 20 wihtin two years” and doing whatever it takes to reach that goal.
Greece would get investment, entrepreneurship, jobs and respect. Take Denmark as your role model!
gee golly gosh
wow
imagine that
how do they get away with it