Further investigation to the claims of attempted bribe of Independent Greeks MP Pavlos Haikalis by a middleman is not necessary. Prosecutor Panayiotis Panagiotopoulos put the case in a nice file and put it on the shelves of history of modern Greek politics.
In the reasoning the prosecutor investigating the case came to the conclusion that no crime took place and no evidence of the claim [of the attempted bribe]. Therefore the case must be shelved.
However the case remains open regarding the illegal taping of the meeting with the middleman as it was recorded by Haikalis.
The prosecutor was not convinced about Haikalis’ claims, indicating that it was not reasonable that the middleman also recording the meeting.
Furthermore, the prosecutor rejected Haikalis’ application requesting the “lifting of telecommunications secrecy” saying that “it is not necessary since there is no case of a leakage from any other person.”
MP Haikalis had applied to the prosecutor the investigation of the middleman’s telecommunication” in order to find out who might have informed the middleman that police had trapped Haikalis’ home ahead of the crucial meeting where the middleman was supposed to bring the money. According to Haikalis, the middleman did appear in the crucial meeting at his home.
Last Friday, Pavlos Haikalis, MP from nationalist Independent Greeks, claimed that a middleman attempted to bribe him with 2-3million euros so that he would vote in favor of the coalition government Presidential candidate. Middleman Giorgos Apostolopoulos had apparently worked at the Deutsche Bank and Piraeus bank and had served as adviser to ex PM George Papandreou, to Antonis Samaras when he was opposition leader and to Panos Kammenos, President of Independent Greeks party.
At the end of the long story that shook Greece’s political world and had journalists and analysts spent hours and hours investigating and commenting on the case, all we can say is that
A) middleman Giorgos Apostolopoulos is cleared of all suspicion as no attempted bribe took place.
and
B)MP Pavlos Haikalis may face three charges and investigations:
1. illegal recording of his meeting with the middleman.
2. investigation on whether he participated in stock exchange transactions (Haikalis had told media that he had given Apostolopoulos 5,000 euro so the latter invests in stock exchange abroad. Later the MP said, he lent the money to A.3. a lawsuit by the Prime Minister, who got furious when Haikalis claimed that “Apostolopoulos had told him he was acting in the name of Samaras.”
Indeed, Samaras’ lawyer went to file the lawsuit today, Monday, but he could not do so due to the lawyers’ strike.
PS there is nothing to comment here….
Here is the video of the illegal recording of the meeting, Apostolopoulos says he can easily give to Haikalis 600.000-700.000 euros if he will vote for president.
As you said no comment greek “justice” is not doing the right thing once again.
In Golden Dawn cases the telecommunications secrecy lifted immediately…
just saying does not 100% prove anything but intention only. however, the case should have been investigated more deeply.
Haikalis’ lawyer said late last night that they will bring the case to another prosecutor.
I fear that no matter which public prosecutor this case is brought to the outcome will be the same. Somebody high up has told them not to act ! I wonder who ? Who the most to lose ? !!
ah, Iw ouldn;t be so sure about who did what.
“The prosecutor was not convinced about Haikalis’ claims, indicating that it was not reasonable that the middleman also recording the meeting.” It was obvious, to me, why the “middleman” was also taping the conversation, this was to use if Haikalis took the money and didn’t vote !! Don’t need to be a public prosecutor to see this.
The words “Greek” and “justice” do NOT fit in the same sentence !