The Press office of Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras issued a statement on Friday night, saying the the prime minister will file a law suit against Pavlos Haikalis, the Independent Greeks MP who claimed an attempted bribery. According to Greek media, the statement came within minutes right after private MEGA TV broadcast an interview with the Haikalis.
“The absolute slander and abjection at their peak.
The Prime Minister will directly file a lawsuit and requests the intervention of the prosecution,” the statement said.
Talking to two journalists of Mega TV, Haikalis said among others that “the man who attempted to bribe him made reference to “a very high ranking politician and a banker who was acting in the name of the Prime Minister.”
When Chaikalis was informed about the PM’s lawsuit against him he commented
“I do not accuse Samaras. Although the alleged middleman involves the name of Samaras, I do not accuse him. Samaras never called me. I accept the Prime Minister’s lawsuit in good intention.”(source)
Earlier this evening when the Parliamentary Ethics Committee sent a copy of the taped dialogue between Haikalis and the middleman to all political leaders, the Prime Minister did not open the DVD but sent it immediately to the prosecutor as it is a “product obtained illegally.”
Haikalis had taped the dialogue with the middleman with a tiny camera hidden in his watch.
MP Pavlos Haikalis dropped a “bombshell” Friday morning when he told private ANT1 TV that a middleman attempted to bribe him and offered him 203 million euro in order to vote in favor of the coalition government candidate for the Presidency.
The incident apparently took place beginning of December. The middleman offered him 700,000 euro in cash, a settlement with his mortgage loan and some contracts with an advertising company. Haikalis is also an actor.
The original footage lasts reportedly 1 hour and 14 minutes. A short version of the footage lasting just 8’30” has been given to several media, the dialogues and the audio are all over the Greek internet.
In the published excerpt, the middleman is been heard to offer Pavlos Haikalis “600-700,000 euro in cash right away”, to arrange a settlement with the repayment of his mortgage “up to 15 years” or “even beyond death” and “to secure advertising contracts.”
“You go and vote… then the loan settlement in January or February…” the middleman says and also that the cash could be turned “into gold bars.” (more here in Greek and here)
According to Greek media, the middleman has served as adviser to ex PM George Papandreou, was reportedly close to Antonis Samaras advisers, when the PM was opposition leader, and served as economic adviser to Independent Greeks chairman Panos Kammenos in the first half of 2013. H has worked as consultant to Deutsche Bank and Pireaus Bank.
In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, middleman Giorgos Apostolopoulos dismissed all claims of Chaikalis, calling Panos Kammenos a “showman” and Chaikalis “comedian”.
More on the case of attempted bribery that stirs Greece’s political world see in “Bombshell” shakes Greece: MP claims he was offered €2-3million to vote for President, in Independent Greeks Kammenos says, he met middleman at Samaras’ office (Press Conference) and in Nea Dimokratia fights back IndepGreeks’ bribery allegations with …”compromising” picture.
PS some wonder why Samaras did not sue the middleman who allegedly used his name….
