Thirty-two people will be sent on trial on felony charges referring to bribes and money laundering in the context of the purchase of four submarines by German company Ferrostaal. According to the decision of the Board of Appeals, among the 32 defenders are one shipowner, former high-ranking officials, entrepreneurs, brokers and banking sector officials, a lawyer, an arms-dealer and several Navy officers.
The charges are on active and passive bribery, infidelity, and money laundering.
Τhe case file was established by the testimony of former deputy director in th procurement department of the Greek Defense Ministry, Antonis Kantas, arrested in December 2014. He was close aide of former Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos (1996-2001) sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in October 2013.
The case refers to the purchase of four submarines Type 214 for the Greek Navy worth €2.4 billion. The contract signed between the Greek Defense Ministry and German HDW-Ferrostaal in 2000, the delivery is still pending.
According to the German justice that has already sentenced the Ferrostaal officials, the kickbacks of the submarines contract are thought to exceed 80 million euro.
However the man who was sitting at the toll post for procurements and bribes in the Greek Defense Ministry, Antonis Kantas, did not play only with submarines. He had admitted to have taken bribes from over 12 contracts, six with German companies, and two each with French, Swedish and Russian arms dealers.
Russian Kornet-E
Apart from the Submarine file, prosecutors opened a new one and are sending on trial Kantas and an arms-dealer who supplied the Greek army with 98 Kornet-E, Russian long range anti-tank guided missiles system.
The two defenders face more or less the same felony charges on bribery, infidelity, money laundering.
According to Corruption prosecutors’ investigation, Kantas received 3 million euro in kickbacks by the Greek representative of Russian KBP company, 3% of a deal totaling 100 million euro.
According to his own confession, Antonis Kantas had received €700,000 in cash, while the rest was deposited in USB bank in Zurich and another Swiss bank. According to Greek media, Kantas had return to the state the money he had illegally obtained.
The dates for both trials are yet to be set.
sources: protothema, newsit, in.gr,
yes the bribes went all in Greek pockets.
at least they could pay the income tax.