Founder and president of nationalist Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS), veteran politician Giorgos Karatzaferis is being investigated for 6 million euros in off-shore accounts and possible kickbacks from military armament programs like the Super Puma helicopters purchased in the year 2000. Katatzaferis could face felony charges for
According to Greek media, prosecutors started the investigation into Karatzaferis’ assets a year ago after a tip off alleging that €1.65 million had been made into offshore companies nd that this money come from bribes from military armament programs.
Sunday newspaper Real News claimed a week ago, that the payments were conducted by two businessmen acting as middlemen in the sale of Super Puma helicopters to Greek authorities. Karatzaferis could face felony charges.
So far the investigation has revealed that Karatzaferis owns two accounts in off-shore companies with some 5.5million euros.
“The investigation has shown that 5.5 million euros were found in two offshores belonging to Mr. Karatzaferis and names five other people who were involved in the bribes.
Three of those involved in the bribes – Th. Moschos, I. Rammos and P. Strantzalis – are military officers, while the other two – Stavros Komnopoulos and Alexandros Tsatsos – are owners of French company Kestrel. The French company acted as a middleman in the purchase of four AS 332 CI Super Puma helicopters from the Eurocopter firm in 2000, which cost 61,741,925 million euros, with a 5.5 million euro commission.” (To Vima)
According to reports, the prosecutor investigates also other assets of LAOS president amounting some 20million euro.
The prosecutor in charge with the case is apparently awaiting for the permission of the Greek Parliament in order to raise charges, as Giorgos Karatzaferis may not be a member of the Parliament as his party failed to reach the threshold of 3% in June 2012 elections, but he is a politician, president of a political party.
Karatzaferis may face felony charges for money laundering and submitting a false assets declaration. But it is considered certain that he would face felony charges for owing an off-shore company, something illegal for political leaders and ministers since the relevant Law passed in 2010.
Last Tuesday, Karatzaferis told ANT1 TV that he would not resign from the party arguing that this “case was a private matter which did not involve the party.”
What is interesting politically is that the case with Karatzaferis’ off-shores and bribes allegations became public after Giorgos Karatzaferis and Samaras’ Nea Dimokratia failed to reach a possible agreement on cooperation ahead of possible snap polls.
Giorgos Karatzaferis was elected member fo the Greek Parliament three times with the ticket of Nea Dimokratia. He was expelled by PM Kostas Karamanslis in 2000, a year later he founded LAOS.
Targeting voters of the so-called “popular right wing”, Karatzaferis successfully managed to push his party in the Parliament in three elections but he saw the decline after he played political games with the pro-bailout parties Nea Dimokratia and PASOK in 2011. Many party officials abandoned LAOS, three of them (Voridis, Georgiadis and Plevris) joined Nea Dimokratia short before the June 2012 elections. Karatzaferis and LAOS were practically left without voters.
According to MP’s tax declarations in 2009, Giorgos Karatzaferis, 67, was the richest Greek politician.
