The major of Stylida city and a lawyer filed lawsuits against former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis. The two blame the ex FinMin for “actions that led to economic measures” and “high treason”. A third complaint has been filed for the “hacking of taxpayers’ registration numbers (AFMs). A fourth lawsuit has been filed for Varoufakis’ Plan B and his “parallel banking system”.
As Varoufakis enjoys “Parliamentary immunity” the Athens prosecutor cannot investigate the claims but has to transfer the lawsuits to the Parliament Speaker. It will be up to a Parliamentary Committee to investigate the issue and if the findings turn against the ex FinMin, 299 MPs will have to vote in order to lift his “immunity”, indict him and open the way for a special court.
– Wow! –
The case is legally not so simple as it seems, because: 1. it is based on media reports 2. it is based on Varoufakis story telling to OMFIF forum and 3. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras knew about the Plan B – in fact Varoufakis developed his plan “by order of Tsipras.”
Varoufakis Plan B was consisting of introducing a ‘parallel banking system within the eurozone,”, of “issuing IOUs” and of “hacking taxpayers’ registration numbers (AFMs) from the software of the General Secretariat of Revenues.”
Many wonder, why Varoufakis, the Finance Minister had to ‘hack the AFMs” in his own ministry and others wonder about the security level of the state websites and .
According to teleconference recordings published by OMFIF on Monday, an IT expert and Varoufakis’ “childhood friend who he had recruited to the ministry had hacked into the ministry’s online tax system”, he had managed to hack into the ministry’s hardware but not the software because “the troika was in control of it.”
Varoufakis: “we decided to hack into my ministry’s own software program in order to be able break it up to just copy just to copy the code of the tax systems website onto a large computer in his office so that he can work out how to design and implement this parallel payment system.”
A week after Varoufakis took over the ministry, he said the IT friend telephoned him and said he had “control” of the hardware but not the software “which belongs to the troika.” (via KTG)
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the head of the Finance Ministry’s General Secretariat for Information Systems Michalis Hatzitheodorou on Tuesday rebuffed as “absolutely false” reports regarding any type of intervention in the ministry’s information systems. The statement added that the GSIS has enacted procedures with strict specifications which guarantee the security of personal data and make such interventions by anyone impossible.
According to Kathimerini, Varoufakis had “not named Hatzitheodorou but the description of his role at the ministry and his background suggested he was referring to him.” According to other Greek media, Varoufakis had hinted to the General Secretary of Public Revenues Katerina Savvaidou.
Back in 2012, taxpayers’ data were found to be illegally in the hands of several companies. The Authority for Privacy Protection had imposed a fine of 150,000 euro to the General Secretariat of Public Revenues.
Nevertheless, the Troika Four felt the need to defend its mandate and denied Varoufakis’s and his childhood friend’s claims that it was controlling the Greek Tax body.
Troika deny “controlling” Greek tax body
Brussels has hit back at “false” claims from the former Greek finance minister that creditors were in full control of Greece’s secretary general of public revenues, forcing the finance minister to try and find a way to “hack” into its computer system.
Spokeswoman Mina Andreeva has said the claims are “false and unfounded” at the Commission’s daily press briefing.
The tax body is a quasi-indpendent entity responsible for tax administration, Ms Andreeva told reporters.
“The Commission and IMF only provide technical assistance, they certainly do not control” the body, she adds. (via Telegraph)
Varoufakis’ non-political aides, the five people who reportedly assisted him to develop his Plan B are expected to face legal and disciplinary measures.
With all Greek and international media busy with Varoufakis’ Plan B and ‘hacking” allegations, the details of Plan A, that is the Greek government -creditors’ Quartet arrangements for the 3. bailout, go almost unnoticed.
A creepy example: pensioners will receive much less money in September, as the contribution to health care increased from 4% το 6%. According to the creditors’ ‘prior actions’, the health contributions increase will be implemented retrospective as of 1. July 2015.
A low-pensioner who receives 490 Euro gross and 460 net due to 4% health care contribution and some other ‘fees’, will suffer another cut of 9.8 euro per month.
In real life practice this could mean, less food, less prescription medicine, less diapers and creams and other hygienic material for the bed-ridden.
When the cuts (July, August, September) will come retrospective with the September pension, they will certainly hurt those who need also the one euro to come along.
However, all we care about is: Varoufakis’ Gate or Varoufakis’ Ego. A nice distraction from the real problems of the real Greek life.
The idea that a former Syriza should have immunity lifted for some alleged theoretical crime of trying to run the tax payments system properly in the national interest… yet the criminals in ND and Pasok who embezzled millions if not billions over the years will never be investigated….
Well, I think it shows the people of Greece what the values of the two parties are. As if they did not already know. Or the useless and corrupt Council of State — this is the court that awarded itself the full pension (over 5,000 a month) when the rest of Greece had their much lower pensions cut. This is the old corrupt Greece trying to return to power.
Well said.totally agree with you
Looks like Greece needs a small revolution?
yes, I know. I omitted the word “minister”, but of course all MPs have immunity. But I think the principle internationally is more important for a member of the Cabinet: this is something really big, and does not involve corruption of any sort. Unprecedented in the EU.
Agree wholeheartedly.
Exactly right.
Greece revolves every day.
May Varoufakis, the Josef Mengele of Game Theory, and Hatzitheodorou, his childhood friend, be thoroughly investigated for Treason and Conspiracy to commit Treason. “Let all the poisons lurking in the mud hatch out.” Robert Graves, “I CLAUDIUS”
Mr. Varoufakis and Mr. Tsipras acted responsibly in forming contingency plans for a GREXIT. Mr. Schauble has made it abundantly clearly that he wants Greece off the euro, and we all know, Mr. Schauble always gets his way.
Without Mr. Varoufakis’ contingency plans for a parallel currency, Greece will find itself in an unimaginable position should it be forced off the euro.
All of these lawsuits against and allegations of Mr. Varoufakis are part of a well orchestrated plan by the EU and the Greek right wing parties to discredit Syriza so that it looses the possible snap elections in the autumn. It is as simple as adding 1 + 1.
Add to this Maryann: WHY does Troika have sole access to Public Revenue, aka all Greek bank accounts? So that, among other things, at the flick of an ECB/BoG mouse every Greek account can be bailed in.
In the week following ECB closing down Greece, the systemic banks rushed to complete the bail in procedure for each account. This did not confine itself to accounts over 100,000 eur but every account. This procedure was made legal across the G20 last November in Australia.
Just like in 2013 stealing Cypriots’ money away “to save it” for Greek banks the same will happen with the Greek shares on the Balkans, whose governments already started the capital control on Greek money weeks before it took off in Greece. Do that with Turkey their tanks were rolling the next day through Skopje, Beograd, Sofia and Bukarest with having Tirana for headquarter but Merkel visited them all to assure that Greek tanks won’t come.
Are you claiming Balkan private money for Greek gov.?
Yeah, like your Cyprus sarcasm. Your scratching the surface. I see Cyprus similarities that were not emphasis at the time.
Hey, my previous question on how to get money out of the bank was totally ignored and one quashed. Giaurti, how is it done? Do you know at least one way?
Yes, the new banking regulations from the EU are explicitly an attack on the safety of the bank accounts of all EU citizens in any bank of the EU. I would advise taking your money out of Europe: the lunatics have taken over the asylum.
The legislation of the Greek banking holiday/capital controls reads almost exactly like a description parallel banking system.
Previous governments and oligarchs pillaged the coffers of the State but it is Varoufakis who is the real criminal here!
Right, and we should accept your decision, why? You are a leading legal expert? You have some secret information that the rest of us don’t? Or is it merely that you are a troll?
So Varoufakis likes to pick which laws he will follow. How may other people in position of power have that attitude? Where does it lead. Revolution can invalidate laws in undemocratic way, so have one already. Just be aware of consequences, revolutions kill people. You may not be very happy for long.
I don’t get it. Contingency planning should constitute “high treason”?!? The only thing that smells a bit illegal is the hacking idea although I actually don’t understand why hacking the ministry’s own system should be a problem – doesn’t the finance ministry have legal access to the taxation data anyway?!? Very puzzling…
These Pasok and ND crooks are more concerned to distract attention away from their own treason in handing over the keys of the computer program to a foreign power. They think, correctly, that people are stupid enough to support this absurd attack on Varoufakis and nobody will comment on their own criminal negligence.
As for the term hacking, this is computer speak. For a criminal offence to have been committed, there has to be a specific infraction of criminal law. There is no Greek law stating that a Minister does not have access to the computer records of his Ministry! The minister did not, because the Troika was already (illegally) running Greece before Syriza was elected into office.
Don’t feed the trolls like Joe A!
People should be happy that someone had the balls and brains to develop a Plan B and keep it a secret, which by the very nature of the thing is the only way a Plan B could exist. Disclosing the Plan B makes the Plan B impossible to execute! Varoufakis is a genius and the gov’t is immeasurably weaker because of his ouster by the EU gangsters.