Simitis says he regrets travesties (scandals) during the time he was PM

Former Prime Minister Costas Simitis, as well as the present leader of the controversial PASOK party, Evangelos Venizelos, on Wednesday began testifying in the appeals case, in relation to the bribes in scandalous armament deals, which was launched by former Minister of National Defense Akis Tsohatzopoulos.

When questioned, Simitis said that he was not aware of anything about the illegal actions of the defendants and what is attributed to them.

     "What I know comes from the newspapers and the courts” e said while he revealed that the KYSEA does not have any investigative powers, nor does it negotiate and discuss offset benefits.

He said that weapons cannot be purchased unless a proposal is made by the Ministry of National Defense.

When asked whether bribery was possible in the KYSEA’s proceedings, the former Greek PM said that "if it happened, it is possible” and explained that the prices of military supplies and armaments are not known and are determined case-by-case.

He also said that he regretted the "these travesties" took place under his premiership when his efforts were to upgrade and modernize the country.

Certainly the most controversial part of his testimony was when he referred to the issue of Imia and said that the reason the helicopter crashed -killing three Greek soldiers- was because it was in the air for too long. Simitis explained how the crisis with Turkey at the time over the Imia Islets highlighted the need to update the Hellenic Armed forces, in order to counter a possible escalation.

It should be reminded that both Simitis and Venizelos were summoned by the courts at the request of Tsochatzopoulos since they were part of the Government Council for National Defense (KYSEA) during the critical period when the defective submarines and TOR M1 purchases were made (the KYSEA is the body with the highest authority on such matters). Other veteran PASOK ministers who were part of the KYSEA at the time include Vaso Papandreou and Yannos Papantoniou, -who are also set to testify on May20th.-

A week later, in the 27th of May, three high-ranking military officers that were also part of the KYSEA – Athanasios Tzoganis, Manolis Paragioudakis and Giorgos Ioannidis – are due to take the stand.

According to the former National Defense Minister, the controversial arms deals involves strategic government choices that were made by this controversial KYSEA and as such it was not possible to make illegal payments for legal and approved supply contacts. The courts argue that the trial aims to investigate the alleged bribery charge and not the legal status of the supply contracts. After all, KYSEA members have previously stated that the council decides on contracts based on the recommendations from the military and political leadership of the Ministry of National Defense.

Here are the transcripts according to TOC magazine:

Simitis: You will be asking why we gave those funds and why the procurements were necessary. You will remember that before I won the confidence vote, we did not have the means to intervene in the Imia case and the helicopter crashed and those kids were killed because it was flying for more hours than it should have. So when I asked the head of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff if commandos could retake the Imia [islets] he said no because they would have to go via Thessaloniki and it would take 6 hours for them to get there. I have written about it in our book. The then leadership of the Armed Forces told me that the difference between us and Turkey was great at the level of engagement and that we should have the ability, in the event of a clash to hold them until the allies could intervene. KYSEA therefore took the decision and we bought 60 F16s, 15 Mirages, 4 submarines, helicopters etc. At a diplomatic level the Helsinki decision was taken.

Judge: Let’s go to the decisions
‘Akis protested when I reduced the defense budget’

Simitis: That [Helsinki] decision was important because if it wanted to intervene as in Imia, Turkey would have to go to the International court beforehand. That meant that we didn’t need so many arms. So I called the governing committee and on the recommendation of the then Finance Minister, I recommended that new arms purchases be suspended and the budget be reduced by 1 trillion drachmas. Mr Tsochatzopoulos disagreed as he believed that improving the country’s defenses was important and [argued] that the arms programs did not exceed 5% of GDP and was only at 4%. I decided to the contrary and there were major protests from Mr Tsochatzopoulos and the press who wrote, “Arms or butter?” New Democracy also agreed with the press. Eventually KYSEA met and reduced the arms programs by 35 billion euros. That is, the arms procurement programs happened under the pressure of the Imia crisis and were reduced when the element of necessary defense improvements was no longer present.

Judge: Yes but that didn’t concern the previous contracts for the submarines and TOR M1s.

Simitis: Those were necessary due to Imia and were right to be purchased, so the assertion that they were not needed is false.

Judge: Does KYSEA (the Government Council of Foreign Affairs and Defense) have an advisory role?

Simitis: No. It has an executive role. It didn’t decide over everything. The law governing KYSEA says that it makes political decisions but not about the purchases. For example it would answer the political question: do we have the ability to purchase [arms] from France or the USA? That’s what it decides.

Simitis: KYSEA would receive the decisions of the committees, of the defense minister etc. KYSEA cannot purchase something that has not been recommended by the ministry. It either accepts what is said by the ministry or not. But it did not and cannot have an opinion on technical details, only general principles. For example the prime ministerial airplane was chosen between the Falcon which could go to China and the Embraer which was enough for Brussels which is what concerned us.

The KYSEA had a strategic role. Just think that in 8 years it met 44 times – i.e. relatively few, while the cabinet met 204 times.

Judge: Did you not audit the files? Could the minister change the supplier of the weapons?

Simitis: No but he could bring the case back to KYSEA and say that ‘I think this system is more useful’.

Could the Minister have been bribed?

Judge: Could the minister have been bribed?

Simitis: Since it happened, could it have happened?

Pagoropoulos (Tsochatzopoulos’s lawyer): That hasn’t been proven, that is what we are looking at

Simitis: It is worth asking, given there was so much background work, how [the bribery] could ultimately happen. But here you are not coming to buy an Opel car. It is auditable only by the Defense Committees. But here it appears (I won’t say that it has been proven and annoy the counsel), that there were payments at three levels: deputy director, general secretary and minister at the highest level, so given that they had colluded anything is possible.

Pagoropoulos: That hasn’t been established sir, that is what we are examining

Simitis: I learnt that two of the accused had confessed.

Judge: Don’t take anything as a given

Simitis: Indeed. Was it accepted that there were illegal payments? In 2001, 2, 3? No it was not accepted. It became accepted much later after trials abroad of companies and their employees.

Judge: We are looking to determine if that is true.

Simitis: It is true about the foreign trials.

Judge: How could there have been bribes when all of this was overseen by the KYSEA (the Government Council of Foreign Affairs and Defense)?

Simitis: I told you it did not examine prices. That is all done by the committees. A file comes with the recommendation of the Head of Arms and of course the ministers. So there is room for bribery before and afterwards.

Judge: Do you know if Mr Tsochatzopoulos was bribed?

Simitis: I don’t know, I told you, I don’t know anything…

Judge: Whichever witness is tired may sit.

Simitis: I am not tired
Akis’s recommendations were decisive

Prosecutor: Were Tsochatzopoulos’s recommendations of major importance?

Simitis: Of course, he was the Defense Minister

Prosecutor: Did his recommendations [carry more weight]?

Simitis: The weight of the recommendation depends on the reputation of the individual. KYSEA met 44 times. Long discussions were had about the submarines and repeatedly. The German submarines were decided on following the recommendation of the head of the navy. There was no one advising ‘these are faulty’ don’t buy them. I recall that for both issues we met more than once.
‘I trusted Akis’

(The former PM recalled that at the height of his power Akis Tsochatzopoulos was one of the most influential officials in PASOK and on the political scene in general, noting that he had even served as acting prime minister. As such he was trusted by Simitis.)

Simitis: I had faith in the system of the Defense Ministry. In any case the Defense Minister wasn’t just anyone, he had served as acting prime minister when Andreas Papandreou was ill. From ’76 he was PASOK’s secretary and for 20 plus years the number two person of PASOK.

TOR missiles and submarines

Simitis: For the TOR M: :With the TOM – M1 the only issue that was raised was their functionality, if they were compatible with other weapons as the Greek army did not purchase Russian weapons but it was decided that we should by Russian weapons for political reasons. The TORs were purchased for the army. If the recommendation was that the weapon wasn’t a good one, we wouldn’t have bought it. There were some weapons the Soviets had which others did not have.:

On the Submarines
“It is now 2015 and you can’t expect from me to remember the discussion we had in 1999 and 2001 in relation to the submarines or whatever other weapon system. The only goal of the government was for there to be co-production as the Saramanga shipyards were not operating and were making losses. KYSEA decided that it would be beneficial for there to be co-production.”

Editor's Note: Simitis of course forgets that during that period his rival, former leader of the New Democracy party Costas Karamanlis, continually slammed him for the corruption that was occurring during his time of rule, but all Simitis did -at the time- was challenge Karamanlis to take these cases to court. Karamanlis did, and almost 15 years later, the Greek court system is still battling to uncover the truth in these cases. Why? Think about it. The PASOK system, which some describe as being better than that of the Cosa Nostra,  involved people from all walks of life in Greece. That is why the corruption continued for decades because it involved the neighbourhood baker, up to officials in the government. In simple terms, when you suddenly go from rags to riches like most people did who supported this party oer the past 30 years, it is very difficult to break that line of corruption. Karamanlis tried during his rule, but was overrun by all those who once hailed Costas Simitis. Sadly the methods that were used by this group which is still alive and kicking (media, finances, large corporations) is again being repeated by the SYRIZA party (or the old PASOK) which is presently appointing its members to high-ranking posts across the public sector. HellasFrappe highly doubts that we will ever have the pleasure of seeing authorities drag these characters off behind bars because the mechanism that supports this type of corruption would collapse.

Supreme Court rejects Germanos' petition against Siemens trial indictment

The Supreme Court Prosecutor has rejected a petition by businessman Panos Germanos, the owner of the Greek 'Germanos' electronic goods chain store, against his indictment to stand trial over the Siemens kickbacks scandal. Germanos is among 32 defendants facing charges in connection with a kickbacks and money-laundering case linked to the purchase of German submarines by the Hellenic Navy.

According to a dispatch from the state news agency, other names up on charges include prominent ship owner, Michael Matantos, businessman Alexandros Avataggelos, former ministry officials, former executives at Siemens and in banks, associates of former minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos and a former head of the Hellenic Shipyards at Skaramangas.

Since the Supreme Court Deputy Prosecutor Haralambos Vourliotis rejected Germanos' petition, all 32 are expected to stand trial in the case.

ANA-MPA

To get a better understanding about this controversial case and all other issues related to Siemens scandals, HellasFrappe suggests that you also read:

Forgiving Siemens And German Corruption in Greece

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2012/07/forgiving-siemens-and-german-corruption.html

SIEMENS Scandal - Ex-PASOK MP To Return Bribe So He Can Reduce Possible Sentence

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2015/01/siemens-scandal-ex-pasok-mp-to-return.html

BUSTED - Prosecutor indicts 64 people in Siemens bribe scandal

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2014/11/busted-prosecutor-indicts-64-people-in.html

An Introduction And Analysis Of The Siemens and Ferrostaal Scandals

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2012/06/introduction-and-analysis-of-siemens.html

Mantelis Appears In Court Over Siemens Kickback Scandal But Trial Suspended Until Nov. 25th

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2013/11/mantelis-appears-in-court-over-siemens.html

Authorities Question Lavrentiadis Involvement With Siemens

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2012/03/authorities-question-lavrentiadis.html

SCANDAL - New Int'l Arrest Warrents Against ex-Siemens Exec's for Bribery

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2014/02/scandal-new-intl-arrest-warrents.html

164 MPs Ratifiy Scandalous Settlement Agreement With Siemens

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2012/04/164-mps-ratifiy-scandalous-settlement.html

SCANDAL: Katrougalos signed contracts to rehire sacked public state workers! (VIDEOS)

The government said on Sunday that a report in the Sunday edition of the To Vima newspaper about Alternate Minister for Administrative Reform George Katrougalos was published with the aim of undermining the SYRIZA-ANEL government as well as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras ahead of his visit to Berlin on Monday. Katrougalos appears to be implicated in a scandal involving private contracts he signed with dismissed and suspended civil servants.

According to the article, Katrougalos worked as a lawyer for a private firm before being elected in the last national elections. During this period, and according to the report, he signed quite a few private agreements with public servants who had either been laid off or suspended by the previous conservative government. The report reveals that these agreements stipulated that he would receive a 12 percent commission of the gross amount which would be awarded to them by courts if they won the case if they got their jobs back.

(Kind of scandalous, and ironic, since today -and from his ministerial post- he is responsible for rehiring them! After all he would absorb 12 percent from their compensation – which might amount to three years’ wages – as commission for reappointing them.).

The scandal - The evidence so far

The article in To Vima alleges that Katrougalos signed private contracts with hundreds of civil servants, who were made redundant, and took 12 percent from their compensation – which might amount to three years’ wages – as commission for reappointing them.

The law provides 25 percent of the salary as compensation for every civil servant who is laid off and then reappointed, for the whole period of redundancy. The report in To Vima stresses that Katrougalos has made such contracts with at least 300 laid off government employees. The contracts have a clause whereby 12 percent of this compensation, when received, goes to Katrougalos as attorney fees.

Most importantly, and certainly something that is raising eyebrows, the same article in To Vima also notes that these private contracts were signed after Katrougalos became Alternate minister in charge of administrative reform; hence of employees who were made redundant or are in a standby mode.

Another point that certainly needs clarification, and which was revealed by "To Vima" is that contracts were lodged with tax and attorney offices on January 26th and 27th, 2015 (that is right after SYRIZA won the national elections.)

According to the Greek newspaper on these two dates, scores of private contracts were submitted to tax offices and the Bar by public sector employees who were either laid off or put in a standby mode. This was done to officially certify the contracts, whereby Katrougalos and his law firm were hired to protect the interests of these employees.

Through the contract, a public sector employee authorises the law firm to make a claim against the state. If this claim is satisfied, then the employee can receive the margin between his/her former public sector remuneration and his/her income after the employee was laid off. Moreover, the employee can also cover the cost of litigation. An upfront amount of 200 Euros is also paid.

When confronted with the case on MEGA Tv on Sunday morning, Katrougalos strongly denied any wrong doing, and said that he resigned from the legal firm he worked for after he was elected as MEP and since then has not taken up any similar case, nor has he drafted any similar agreements. When asked to explain the fees, the Minister said that the legal fees were only paid when the trial took place in civil courts and other lawyers were involved, which would only be paid if the ruling was favourable.

Katrougalos described the allegations as slanderous and provocative at a press conference that was specifically held to respond to the allegations.

     "Had I signed the contracts, I should have left the country and committed suicide rather than just hand in my resignation." Katrougalos also said he would demand 10,000 Euros as compensation from To Vima.
     “My political and legal activity always had the same aim, to defend rights and the Constitution. In the past five years, I handled many cases related to the memorandum, most of them with little or no legal fees: port privatizations, the PSI robbery, the illegal appointment of the administration in privatization agency HRADF, the civil mobilization of employees in the metro and many others, among which the civil servants who were suspended,” Katrougalos said.

Myths and Truths That Need Clarification

It is true that when Katrougalos was appointed as Minister, he automatically debarred as a lawyer and even shut down his law firm on February 27th, nonetheless the article in the To Vima newspaper says that he took the pains to warrant his rights so that he could return to his law practice following his run as Minister.

This is not just here say. To Vima notes that the last clause of the private contracts provides that if the Ap. Papakonstantinou - G. Katrougalos - N. Hlepas & Associates Law Firm and Partners shuts down, the powers stemming from those contracts transfer to G. Katrougalos.

Concerning a contract signed on January 27th (and which was published by the paper), Katrougalos quickly replied that it does not refer to a reappointment, but instead arranges a small margin fee. Also, he said that it was signed by his partner rather than by himself. When asked why he signed a contract implying a claim against the Greek state in a period when he already held a position in the government, Katrougalos scandalously replied that it was just a minor case, which had been dealt with by his associate before he himself had even realised that he would be a government minister. He then added that even if he had known about it, he would have still authorised the contracts.

Government stands behind Katrougalos

Press reports say that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has already spoken with Katrougalos and asked him for explanations and the minister maintained that the claims revealed by To Vima were false. Katrougalos must of convinced the PM because several reports in the Greek press noted that his resignation is not even being considered. As such, it issued a statement, noting its support for Katrougalos and urged the opposition to withdraw their declarations against him.

Greek opposition calls for his resignation

As expected, the most opposition parties began demanding his immediate resignation. The press secretary of the main opposition New Democracy party,Costas Karagounis, said that if the story is credible then Katrougalos must immediately resign.

     "At the end of the day, ‘hope’ has proven to be a business transaction with a 12 percent price tag. Although underwritten by the taxpayer, the minister is the one who will cash in on it. Instead of appointing young and capable people, we will reappoint our own guys with compensations. Now everybody knows what the implications are of the radical left running the country for the first time."

Similar protests were expressed by the "Potami" party as well as by PASOK.

German press slams SYRIZA for protecting Katrougalos

The online edition of German newspaper Bild rushed to comment on the Greek affairs in an article titled “A corruption scandal in Tsipras’ incorruptible government.” Dripping with sarcasm, the article reports all the details of the case and states that the new developments are likely to keep Alexis Tsipras’s government very busy in the following days.

Sources: MEGA Tv, ANT1 tv, YouTube, To Vima, ANA-MPA, Bild

Papakonstantinou Finally Faces Special Court - Time For Justice

Former Minister of Finance George Papakonstantinou (under the George Papandreou government) finally took the stand in the Special Court on Wednesday, where he is now expected to address the charges that have been brought against him in relation to the controversial Lagarde list. In his opening statement the former minister denied the charges and said that he is innocent.

Papakonstantinou is charged with tampering with an official State document as well as an attempted breach of faith. It should be reminded that Papakonstantinou was charged with tampering with the Lagarde list, which contains the names of more than 2,000 Greeks -and suspected tax evaders- with cash deposits at a Geneva branch of HSBC in an effort to remove the names of three of his relatives.

Reports claim that the Court might focus on the criminal liabilities of Papakonstantinou, rather than the general social, financial or political landscape.

Papakonstantinou was referred to the Special Court by the Supreme Court’s Judicial Council.

The 'Lagarde list' is an electronic file that was sent to the Greek finance ministry by French authorities several years ago, containing the names of wealthy Greeks with sizable deposits in the Geneva-based branch of HSBC. It was received when Papakonstantinou was finance minister, under the (very controversial) George Papandreou government.

We suggest that you also read:

Falciani: Sarkozy "Blackmailed" Papandreou To Accept The Troika Because His Mother's Name is on Lagarde List
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2015/02/falciani-sarkozy-blackmailed-papandreou.html

Ta Nea Report Claims 86 entries missing from “Lagarde List”
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2015/02/ta-nea-report-claims-86-entries-missing.html

Supreme Court’s Judicial Council Refers Papakonstantinou to Special Court
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2014/12/supreme-courts-judicial-council-refers.html

Papandreou Offended For Being Included In Lagarde Scandal Probe
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2013/01/papandreou-offended-for-being-included.html

Dedicated the s.c.u.m. that took power in October 2009. One by one you will all fall down!

Crosschecks for Wealth Statements From General Secretariats

The wealth statements (pothen esches) submitted by 17 employees at the General Secretariat for Public Revenues are presently being crosschecked with bank accounts which were kept abroad, it was announced on Tuesday. According to the state news agency, the statements involve 15 tax bureau officers and two employees of public companies, whose assets are being under investigation.

Another 167 employees are being investigated for disciplinary violations, among them, 148 General Secretariat for Public Revenues employees, including 126 tax bureau officers, 19 customs officers, a chemist and 2 financial inspectors. The remaining 19 are employees of finance-ministry supervised agencies.

The evidence presented was the result of the processing of findings of crosschecks conducted by the General Secretariat for Public Revenues Internal Investigation Office.

Based on the relevant report drawn up, the scheduled investigations into delinquent behaviour for 2014 were 50 with 92 findings issued, exceeding the 84 pct target set. Eighteen of the findings were forwarded to the prosecutor's office. Another seven cases, concerning criminal law violations were also forwarded to the prosecutor's office. Also, an internal investigation was ordered into 11 cases concerning 12 employees.

Special Examining Magistrate Takes On Case Of George Karatzaferis

A special examining magistrate is going to be assigned on the case of the inaccurate source of wealth ("pothen esches") statement that was submitted by LAOS leader George Karatzaferis. It should be reminded that Karatzaferis is accused of receiving the amount of 1.6 million euros in two installments in 2007 and 2008, via the offshore company Catalina Ltd which he allegedly owned jointly with his son. The remittances, claim the same press reports, were allegedly sent by entrepreneur Alexandros Tsatsos who together with entrepreneur Stavros Komnopoulos, who appear as the middlemen for the purchase by the state of four Super Puma helicopters in late 2000 that cost roughly 64 million euros. Both businessmen as well as three retired military officers are expected to also be summonsed to testify (after January 12th). All five face charges of active and passive bribery as well as money laundering.

(The French company reportedly acted as a middleman in the purchase of four AS 332 CI Super Puma helicopters from the Eurocopter firm in 2000, which cost a whopping 61,741,925 million euros, with a juicy 5.5 million euro commission.)

If one goes back a few years, then everything becomes perfectly clear. It is a well known fact that when LAOS was in Parliament, Karatzaferis, and the members of his party (who today defected over to the ND party), often expressed a special interest in the supplies of the armed forces. The interest was so pressing that on April 28th, 2011 the Minister of National Defense who at the time was Evangelos Venizelos, was forced to publicly admit that Karatzaferis often visited him to ask when Greece would receive two submarines. Later on in Parliament he would skillfully encourage his MPs to ask questions on the matter. Also, the leader of LAOS more or less defended Akis Tsohatzopoulos (in Parliament) and even his off shore companies. (Tsochatzopoulos is serving time for accepting kickbacks and bribes in the sale of defence systems as well).

Some readers of HellasFrappe have criticized our blog for being very critical with Karatzaferis. Indeed we have been on more than one occasion, but we did not do this out of menace or prejudice. We also did not do this because he was a rival to former PM Costas Karamanlis, whom we still support. The reason we were highly critical over Karatzaferis in the past is because we constantly questioned the origin of his vast wealth. We were never convinced -and through our countless articles- often hinted that he was "selling" something else other than a few political lines to his voters. From what we see, we were spot on. He was indeed buying and selling everything from people to defence systems.

In the mid 1980s Karatzaferis was supposedly combating the state television monopoly and had joined a so-called anti-propaganda machine against PASOK. He wandered through the streets with a camera and would make his own news bulletins, the tapes of which he would later “sell” (make your own conclusions on what exactly it was he was selling and to whom -and at what price-).

His efforts may have been quite amateur at the time, and downright silly, but he always gave the impression to (a large percentage of his audience that is) that he was fighting for free information and freedom of speech. His theatrical and charismatic skills paid off and in no time he established his own television channel which in all honesty was hardly noticed by the general public.

Most people would agree that he has audacity, and always comes across as being very blunt. This is probably why he created a school of nationalists who were infused with neoliberal and neodemocratic ideologies through his channel.

This all developed even further when Christodoulos was elected as the Archbishop of Athens and all of Greece. At the time, Karatzaferis -being the opportunist that he was/is-, decided to put on his best Christian suit. The moralistic, religious and nationalistic turn of Greek society, with its congregations, banners and protests over ID cards that occurred at the height of Christodoulos' reign as Archbishop, and it was manipulated (100 percent) by Karatzaferis. He actually was portrayed as the defender against the New World Order -especially during the period 1996-2004 or during Costas Simitis’ rule, and later on as the protector of the Orthodox faith (since at least 95 percent of the Greek population is Orthodox).

In the same period, Karatzaferis also purposely collided with his own party leader Costas Karamanlis, and after literally insulting him with obnoxious and sexual innuendos he was luckily expelled from the conservative party and never allowed to return.

So Karatzaferis did what he does best, he decided to bank on the opportunity and following the elections in 2000 he established the LAOS party. He went door to door and spoke to many people preaching about what is honorable and at the time quite a few people bought in on his play, especially in Northern Greece. So much so that during the municipal elections in 2002, his forces strengthened further. At some point the Golden Dawn party began to become active as well and it is a well known fact that some members from GD found their way on his ballots.

After receiving 14% of the vote, Karatzaferis the puritan and defender of all that is good and just -and who today is ready to be charged with money-laundering- transformed again and this time became a preacher of morals, nationalism, sensationalism and the defender of the status quo. Who can forget the summer of 2002 when he wandered from television station to television station indicating possible terrorist hideouts? Just 12 years later the man who manipulated the slogan "country, religion, family" (patris, thriskeia, oikogeneia), is set to be charged for taking millions of Euros (or Greek payers tax money) in kickbacks and bribes!

It is almost too comical. In the day he would promote the cross that decorated his emblem, swear allegiance to the country, the church and the nation and at night he would discuss what types of defence systems were better for Greece, given that he received a kickback or two.

Frappers, the case of Karatzaferis is just another example of the fading credibility of Greece's political system. This grand (lying) moralist was fooling society in the worst possible way, and we cannot say that we are upset that his true face has finally been revealed.

Opportunists such as Karatzaferis are too obvious to us and we knew from day one that he was dipping into the honey jar while pretending to preach the truth. Again, this was not because we were more inclined to Costas Karamanlis -who was and forever will be a big rival of Karatzaferis- but because we knew in our gut that it was all fake.

Over the last few weeks many startling facts about his wealth have surfaced and one would think that he would have the decency to explain himself, or to at least offer to give back this money to the state. Unfortunately he hasn't and the few words that he has muttered are only to defend his own likelihood. We are not convinced, on the contrary we believe that all he is doing is buying some time in order to prepare for the storm ahead. All this from the man who defended George Papandreou with a menace in 2008 against Karamanlis, who a few years later signed the First Memorandum and endorsed it on all levels, and the man who always placed the Mitsotakis family -and especially Dora Bakoyianni- above Costas Karamanlis.

Let us hope that the investigation continues and may it reveal the responsibilities of those who are implicated. This bribery scourge, which obviously flourished for many years in this sector, has to finally come to an end.

Related articles

• Get Ready Ellada - Papandreou Forms New Political Party
• Guess Who Is Back? - Papandreou Hints At Establishing New Party

Trial of Papakonstantinou to begin Feb.25th

The trial of former finance minister George Papakonstantinou is scheduled to begin on February 25th. The date of the trial was announced by Nicholas Passos, the head of the Special Court that is assigned to try the former minister.

Among other things, Papakonstantinou is charged of striking the names of his relatives and their husbands from a list of Swiss bank accounts from the HSBC branch in Geneva. France's then-finance minister Christine Lagarde, now head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), forwarded a part of the list to the Greek government, hence the widely-used name of "Lagarde List".

For more on this story click HERE to read background

Prosecution Dismisses Halkias' Allegations Of Bribery - Case Closed

Greek prosecutors have decided to dismiss the serious allegations that were made by Independent Greeks (ANEL) MP Pavlos Haikalis last week against George Apostolopoulos that claimed that the latter attempted to bribe him to vote in favor of the coalition government's presidential candidate in the ongoing Presidential elections.

According to reports, the decision was based on the fact that the video and audio footage that was submitted as evidence by Halkias was procured illegally and as such cannot be used. According to reports, the prosecutor Mr. Panagiotopoulos based his findings on the depositions of the witnesses and suspects.

So what were the prosecution’s findings? According to a report in the To Vima newspaper the prosecutor’s report notes that while Apostolopoulos had arranged to meet with Haikalis on December 12th to give him a bribe, the fact that he did not suggests that he never had the intention to carry out the bribe.

Based on the information at hand, the prosecution makes it clear that Apostolopoulos had not been tipped off to avoid the meeting and is not convinced that there is sufficient evidence and justification to examine Apostolopoulos' phone records. Also, the prosecutor argues that if Apostolopoulos wanted to bribe Haikalis he would not document their meetings, as he has allegedly done.

Panagiotopoulos' findings, who documented the bribery allegations by Haikalis, as well as the deposition of the MP himself (which was published in the To Vima newspaper), show how this ridiculous story was set up by the protagonists themselves.

Friends and partners at the same party, under the protection of their leader, one was observing and documenting the other fearing extortion and unfortunately with the support of the main opposition party SYRIZA they began a wave of mudslinging and conspiracy talk that has dominated -and done more harm than good- to the country over the last few days.

It is a shame for a political system that ANEL leader Panos Kammenos and his friends conspiracy theories, baseless accusations and scheming in order to become regulators of our political lives.

Our guess is that their goal is to survive politically.

The whole incident traps political life in a vicious cycle of mudslinging that denigrates politicians and people alike.

The election of a supreme political figure in this country cannot become a game of dark circles that only care about their survival and nothing else.

We have paid dearly for the sins of our political system; let us not resort to the margins of politics to find a way out. It is time that we – society and parties vying for power – should all leave them where they truly belong: the sidelines of history.

Prosecutors Expected To Present Report on Halkias' Alleged Bribery Attempt

Greek judicial authorities on Monday are expected to decide on the further handling of the case of the an Independent Greeks (ANEL) party MP who testified that he was offered a bribe in order to vote for Greek president.

According to appeals court sources, prosecutor Panagiotis Panagiotopoulos who is investigating the case concluded his report on Sunday following supplementary testimonies by ANEL leader Panos Kammenos and party MP Pavlos Haikalis, who made the allegation.

The prosecutor's recommendation for the case will then be submitted to the head of the Appeals Prosecution, Isidoros Doyiakos.

According to sources, the prosecution rejected Haikalis’ request to lift his telecommunications privacy, saying the evidence it already has is enough to give authorities a clear idea of the case.

The prosecution also considers the audio and video material submitted by Haikalis and Kammenos is illegal, the same sources said.

Source: ANA-MPA

Read background to this story by clicking HERE

Independent MPs summoned by Ethics Committee Over Allegations of Bribes

The Parliamentary Ethics Committee on Monday summoned independent MPs Odysseas Voudouris and Theodoros Parastatidis over their insinuation that some members of parliament have received bribes.

The two MPs recently released a statement that suggested that MPs received bribes to vote for Stavros Dimas in the Presidential elections. In the statement they did not name any names, but Greek press reports claim that the allegations refer to Grigoris Psarianos, Christos Aidonis, Spyros Lykoudis and Giorgos Davris.

On their part the four MPs have reacted fiercly to the accusations and warned that they are going to take the necessary legal steps so that their reputations are not soiled.

Following all the turmoil they caused Voudouris and Parastatidis said that their statement was misinterpreted and that it was not their intention to depreciate their colleagues.

Samaras Calls For “National Consensus” - Says SYRIZA Behind Haikalis Accusations (VIDEOS)

Just days before the second crucial vote for the new President of the Republic, a cloud of uncertainty is hovering over Greece's political system which was created by the allegations of a plot to bribe MPs. In such a climate, Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras on Sunday proposed a new plan to end this political deadlock in a televised address. He called for a “national consensus” towards the election of a new President of the Republic and asked parliamentarians to forget about snap elections so that Greece can achieve an agreement over a restructuring of its debt as well as begin the process of constitutional reform.

Samaras urged MPs to find common ground, making proposals that approach those made by a group of several independent MPs who have stated that they would be willing to vote for a new president under certain conditions – the most significant of which is that early general elections be held in 2015.

Commenting on the accusations of attempts to bribe MPs, Samaras said that Greece "cannot continue the orgy of unfounded and despicable accusations” and noted that ‘elections must not happen’ immediately.”

At the same time he slammed the main opposition party SYRIZA as well as the Independent Greeks party (ANEL) for the toxic charges that were made last week about possible bribaries.

     “Charges, that unfortunately, the main opposition leader (Alexis Tsipras), his party's top cadres and his well known associate, the leader of a third party, are the protagonists.”

The Greek PM said implied that MPs who voted in favour of the government’s presidential candidate must have also been bribed. (Which kind of sounds absurd).

     “But MPs do not succumb to such a campaign of discredit. Fear and terror will not pass. And this is the democracy's wager today,” Samaras said.

Samaras argued that if elections were held now then this would harm Greece given the uncertainty over the future its financing following the expiration of the Memorandum agreement at the end of February. He added that if elections were held now then this would also postpone the process of constitutional reform for many years (or until 2020+).

     “It is extremely serious for Greece's course to negotiate the new agreement that will shield Greece, after the end of the memorandum,” he said.
     “I still hope for the support of all MPs in order to proceed and to complete the revision of the Constitution so that very soon Greece has the new Constitution it needs. The country must not be thrown into a new series of tribulations and to postpone the revision for many years.”
     “Furthermore after the presidential election we can broaden the government with the participation of more persons that believe in the European prospect of the country in order for the next phase to find us more united.”

Samaras explained that national obligation (and common sense) dictates that Greece has to first complete the negotiations with its creditors and then complete the Constitutional revision. This, he stressed, has to be conducted in conditions of stability and calmness. He said that once this is achieved, and Greece is shielded economically and politically, then it can find the right time to hold national elections. The PM hinted that this could occur by the end of 2015, because in conditions of pre-election polarization, only fools would believe that anyone could negotiate for the economy or revise the Constitution.

     "That's what the voice of responsibility says to the Greek people."

On Saturday and while addressing his party’s Regional Conference in Kozani, SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras said that Pavlos Haikalis, the ANEL MP who reported last Friday that someone attempted to bribe him in order to vote for President of the Republic, rose to the occasion and did his duty.

     “Whatever is behind this sordid story, we must point out that Mr. Chaikalis has done his duty,” Mr. Tsipras said, adding that by rising to the occasion, the ANEL MP proved that not everyone in Greece is corrupted

Meanwhile, Elena Tzouli, the wife of the Independent Greeks (ANEL) leader Panos Kammenos, and lawyer of ANEL MP Pavlos Haikalis told the press on Sunday that the Appeals Prosecution knew the name of Yorgos Apostolopoulos since December 6th and did not act on it. Kammenos' wife apparently accompanied Haikalis to the prosecutor’s office on Sunday, where he was called to give a supplementary testimony in relation to the attempted bribery case.

According to her, when the bribery complaint was first filed on December 6th, Kammenos and Haikalis agreed not to reveal the name of the accused following a recommendation by the head of the Appeals prosecution Isidoros Doyiakos.

She also asked the prosecution to lift the secrecy of communications so that Apostolopoulos’s phone conversations on the evening of December 12th could reveal who was behind the bribery attempt.

Turning to the lawsuit that was filed by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’, she said that she was puzzled as to why Samaras chose to file a lawsuit against Haikalis "and not the accused". She said that this is why her client is thinking about filing a counter-lawsuit against the Greek prime minister.

She said that Haikalis characterized as ludicrous Apostolopoulos story that he offered the money to the ANEL MP to prove to the party’s leader that he was weak and corrupted, noting that the accused never presented the recorded conversations neither to the police nor to Mr. Kammenos. They also said that they asked to read Apostolopoulos’ testimony to the prosecutor in order to file a lawsuit.

Following his testimony on Saturday, Apostolopoulos' lawyer, Pavlos Sarakis told the press that his client responded immediately to the prosecutor’s request to provide explanations on Haikalis attempted bribery allegations, without asking for an extension.

Reports in the Greek press claim that Apostolopoulos told the prosecutor that Haikalis was the one who suggested that he would be willing to vote for President of the Republic if his financial problems were resolved. Moreover, he said that the video presented by Haikalis has been edited and that he has proof for that.

As for his motives behind the offer he made to bribe the ANEL MP, Apostolopoulos said that he only did that to show to the leader of the party just how corrupt and weak Haikalis is.

Our conclusion here at HellasFrappe can only be described with specific adjectives: Toxic, murky, dirty and foul smelling. The whole thing stinks from a mile away. The allegation is bizarre and it will take some time to disentangle what exactly has taken place. The only thing that is certain is that there is a scandal here, but it remains to be seen what kind of scandal it actually is. Does it involve an attempt to bribe an MP, or does it involve unfounded allegations made by a political party?

Stay tuned Frappers, guess we will find out in the days to come

Read the background to this story by clicking HERE

Haikalis' alleged bribery made by a former associate of Kammenos? - PLOT THICKENS

credit protothema

Earlier today HellasFrappe published an article where Independent Greeks (ANEL) MP Pavlos Haikalis claimed that he was offered 2-3 million Euros to vote in favor of Mr. Dimas in the Presidential election. (Click HERE to read)

A report from the state news agency said later on that about a week ago the Appeals Prosecutor ordered Attica police to launch a preliminary investigation in relation to the attempted bribery of deputy Pavlos Haikalis. The deputy has been called to testify twice and, according to the same sources, has revealed the name of the person that attempted to bribe him.

The same sources said that in cooperation with police he had arranged to meet with the suspect but he did not appear.

The prosecution is alleged to have sent directly the video tape to the Criminal Investigation service.

On Friday the leader of the ANEL party, Panos Kammenos, said that he had met with the man who allegedly tried to bribe Haikalis, and much to every one's amazement he said that this man briefly worked as his consultant.

Kammenos said that he cannot publish the taped footage as Greek law doesn't permit him to air material produced through unauthorized taping, but he stressed that he would send a copy to Greece's Minister of Justice and the parliamentary speaker, so the latter could inform political leaders.

So let us recap what has been alleged so far:

- The "suspect" worked as a consultant for Kammenos on economic issues. The man had also worked as consultant at Deutsche Bank and later on at Piraeus Bank as well.

- Haikalis claims he was offered about 700,000 euros in cash, a loan repayment and advertising contracts, with the alleged bribe total value amounting to more than 2 million euros. Haikalis points out that he informed a prosecutor about two weeks ago and had turned over audio and video material.

- Kammenos says that the so called "suspect" told Haikalis he could arrange an appointment with prime minister Antonis Samaras.

- Haikalis claims that the prosecutor urged him to tape the meeting with the suspect and he only taped two of the meetings because the man never showed up for a third meeting.

- Kammenos threatened that if Greece's Minister of Justice and the parliament speaker do not reveal the man’s name, he is going to do so before the third round of the presidential election.

Even though Kammenos and Haikalis refused to reveal the name of the so called "suspect", the Greek media went on a frenzy and quickly identified him as George Apostolopoulos (pictured above).

As soon as this happened, Apostolopoulos, who is a former banker and aide to Kammenos, went on the attack against Haikalis.

In a statement, which was featured on enikos.gr, Apostolopoulos referred to Haikalis by his primary professions which are an actor and director, while he described Kammenos as a "showman" and even hinted that they may have made up the story.

Nonetheless, a Greek prosecutor was expected to call Apostolopoulos in for questioning to determine whether or not he attempted to bribe Haikalis so that he can secure his vote in the presidential election.

At present, the prosecution is investigating a previous case on attempted bribery of lawmakers.

Going on the defence, the New Democracy party only confirmed that the so called "suspect" was indeed an associate of Kammenos and they noted that the entire case is staged.

They also went a little further and released a couple of pictures of Kammenos in a meeting with members from the main opposition SYRIZA party, in which the man in question is seen sitting next to him.

ND Secretary, Andreas Papamimikos noted that "if the judicial investigation doesn't prove anything "it will reveal that this is a staged provocation."

     "The person accused by Independent Greeks was a close associate of Panos Kammenos and had accompanied him at a meeting with Alexis Tsipras on March 22, 2013 and on his visit to Cyprus on April 1, 2013," Papamimikos said.
     "He's Panos Kammenos' main defence witness in the CDS case. Everyone can now draw their own conclusions," he added. 

At Parliament, the House Ethics Committee decided to give copies of the DVD containing the audiovisual material to party leaders.

From what we read, Samaras has decided not to receive the DVD footage, and instead he decided to send it straight to the Prosecutor as an illegal product.

A few hours later, and while speaking to reporters, ANEL representative Maria Kollia-Tsarouha was asked which other MP was approached and she replied “a woman”. Asked to clarify if it is MP Stavroula Xoulidou, Kollia-Tsarouha replied that it was in fact Elena Kountoura.

     “The middleman insinuated that someone received a bribe”, was Haikalis’ earlier statement during the press conference he held with Kammenos.

When HellasFrappe googled this bit of information we discovered that Protothema.gr contacted ANEL MP Elena Kountoura who denied that there was an attempt to bribe her.

     “I spoke with Mrs. Kollia-Tsarouha. Mrs. Kollia-Tsarouha refuses that she said anything like that and is furious. Call her”, said Mrs. Kountoura.
     “I have nothing else to say to you. Nothing is applicable”, she added.

Tsarouha’s statements that the DVD which Kammenos sent to parliament has undergone a montage, has created a stir.

According to her, the DVD contains scenes from the first meeting of Pavlos Haikalis with Apostolopoulos, while the sound is from the second meeting between Haikalis and Apostolopoulos!

(If it looks like a Japanese film then it has undergone montage... but if it doesn't then they are in real trouble for creating such a stir).

New Democracy, the Greek conservative-socialist coalition government's senior partner, has heaped scorn on allegations of bribery that surfaced Friday, accusing the Independent Greeks and main opposition Syriza of "blackmailing" wavering MPs into not voting for President of the Republic.

At New Democracy, spokeswoman Anna Assimakopoulou said that the SYRIZA and ANEL parties are directing a "parody".

     "Plot: A group of plotters are trying to blackmail Greek MPs into not electing a President of the Republic...we reply: you cannot blackmail democracy. Let the Syriza-Independent Greeks coalition understand this. Their effort will fail," Assimakopoulou said.

References in Greek - enikos, protothema

Haikalis: "I was offered €2-3 million to vote for president"

Independent Greeks (ANEL) MP Pavlos Haikalis claimed on a television show on Friday morning that he too was offered 2 to 3 million Euros in order to vote in favour of the government’s presidential nominee, Stavros Dimas. However, prosecutors say they cannot in any way confirm his claim since they have already conducted an extensive investigation and have not discovered any evidence that would support this claim.

More precisely, Haikalis alleged that an attempt was made to bribe him in the Presidential elections, on a Friday morning appearance on ANT1, following comments made by comedian Lakis Lazopoulos.

Haikalis said that at first he was to be given 700,000 euros in cash, later an outstanding loan of his would be paid off and finally he would sign contracts with certain production companies.

The comedian turned MP said that he has handed over video and audio evidence from two meetings he had with the person that attempted to bribe him and that he has already filed a deposition. However, he did not reveal the identity of the person, which kind of makes his accusation a bit ridiculous.

It should be noted that comedian Lakis Lazopoulos -who openly supports SYRIZA- had previously reported that the man who attempted to bribe Haikalis was a businessman, but did not name him.
This too can be described as an attempt to sling some mud somewhere with the hope that it would eventually stick. The bottom line is, are the accusations true or not?

Apparently they aren't!

After the news became public To Vima contacted the prosecution, which confirmed that Haikalis submitted audio and video footage ten days ago, but they could not in any way confirm his accusations.

Following the news, the spokesman for SYRIZA Panos Skourletis told ANT1 that the prosecution must inform the political leaders of these developments immediately, as the allegations may well influence the outcome of the ongoing Presidential election process.

SYRIZA, which obviously is suffering from Stockholm syndrome, forgets that the Greek justice system has found all these accusations to be totally groundless.

Asked to comment, government spokeswoman Sofia Voultepsi said on ANT1 that in the name of public interest the evidence must be made public immediately and if they prove to be baseless, the relevant legal procedures must be initiated against the "culprits of this vile story".

She is right.

Greece΄s upcoming big court cases now in the hands of justice

2015 is set to become a legal milestone as scores of cases that monopolised the news are one step away from the courtroom. Antonia Xynou at PressProject presents eight cases which are expected to be tried in 2015, including those concerning Golden dawn, the Siemens scandal, the Lagarde list and the scandals of the banking and energy sectors.

The trial of Golden Dawn
A political party or a criminal organisation? The trial is set to take place in 20015. The case file is in the possession of the Appeals Council, which will decide who of the 85 accused will testify before the three-member court of appeal for felonies. The appeals prosecutor, Isidoros Doyiakos, has requested that 70 of the 85 go on trial, which includes all of Golden Dawn’s MPs. The felonies they are being charged with include, running and participating in a criminal organisation, manslaughter, attempted murder, gun possession and others.
(Read the background on this story from HellasFrappe by clicking  HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE)

The Lagarde List

A judicial court has ruled that former Finance Minister George Papakonstantinou will stand trial for breach of trust and tampering with the so-called "Lagarde list" of about 2,000 Greeks with money concealed overseas. The list was given to the Greek  government by France in 2010. The trial is expected to take place in 2015. It also likely that the trial of the former head of the Financial Crimes Squad (SDOE), Yiannis Diotis will also take place for failing to investigate whether the 2,062 Greeks with accounts at a Geneva branch of HSBC were guilty of tax evasion. He has been charged with breach of trust and removing an official document. Both men have denied any wrongdoing and were released after answering a prosecutor’s questions.
(Read the background on this story from HellasFrappe by clicking HERE)

The Siemens scandal

The prosecutor who is handling the case is expected to decide whether to issue indictments against those accused, including government officials, for allegedly receiving bribes from the German electronics and engineering giant to secure lucrative deals with the country’s national telecoms company, OTE. However, because of the large case file, his decision may be delayed. Among those accused of bribing government officials are 70 OTE employees and their relatives, stockbrokers, party officials, bankers and senior ranking executives. Charges include: bribery and money laundering
(Read the background on this story from HellasFrappe by clicking HERE and HERE and HERE)

The Vatopedi Monastery trial

The trial date for Ephraim, the former abbot of the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos, along with another 13 suspects over a controversial land swap between the Greek government and the monastery will depend on the supreme court. The trial is expected to take place in 2015
(Read the background on this story from HellasFrappe by clicking HERE)

Energa and Hellas Power

The trial starts on January 16. 19, out of the 25 people charged will stand trial for embezzlement, smuggling and money laundering. The two companies are accused of receiving the notorious surcharge tax on households on behalf of the state power corporation (DEH) but never handing it over to the Greek state.
(Read the background on this story from HellasFrappe by clicking HERE and HERE)

Proton Bank trial
The trial date is set for March 23, involving 34 accused for their part in the running of a criminal organization, money laundering, fraud and breach of faith in connection with a series of alleged embezzlements at the bank. Among those accused are high ranking executives of the defunct bank and of companies belonging to the Lavrentiadis group. The case has been dubbed as ‘one of the biggest banking scandals’ in the country’s post-dictatorship era costing the state around €900 million
(Read the background on this story from HellasFrappe by clicking HERE and HERE and HERE All three articles posted on these links will put the pieces of the puzzle together nicely for you.)

Post Bank and FB Bank

Two cases involving the granting of unsecured loans to various entrepreneurs.Τrials are expected to be held in 2015. The case of Post Bank involves €300 million and implicates Former Post Bank President and CEO Angelos Philippides, who is accused of approving huge unsecured loans for businesses and friends. Philippides was released on bail. Another former CEO, Kleon Papadopoulos, and the president of DEMCO and owner of Greek television station ALPHA, Dimitris Kontominas, are also accused. The case of First Business Bank (FB Bank) involves unsecured loans worth roughly €20 million. Greek shipping magnate Viktor Restis will stand trial along with two former associates. Restis was the major shareholder and had served as a non-executive chairman.
(Read the background on this story from HellasFrappe by clicking HERE)

(PressProject)

Supreme Court’s Judicial Council Refers Papakonstantinou to Special Court

Former Minister of Finance George Papakonstantinou was referred to the Special Court on Thursday by the Supreme Court’s Judicial Council, on charges of distorting documents and attempted infidelity.

The Judicial Council cleared Papakonstantinou of the breach of conduct charges and at the same time also cleared three of his family members of instigation charges, in relation to accounts contained in the controversial Lagarde List which the former Minister is accused of tampering.

The 'Lagarde list' is an electronic file that was sent to the Greek finance ministry by French authorities several years ago, containing the names of Greeks with sizable deposits in the Geneva-based branch of HSBC. It was received when Papakonstantinou was finance minister, under the (very controversial) George Papandreou government.

When the list was sent to Greece, it suddenly disappeared and only resurfaced after several months, without any action to follow up the information it contained.

The USB stick was eventually given to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras by none other than Evangelos Venizelos -who apparently succeeded Papakonstantinou as finance minister-.

The deception was actually revealed after French authorities provided a second copy of the list to Greek authorities and Venizelos was forced to materialize the USB stick. Further investigation showed that the copies in the hands of Greek authorities had been tampered with and some names removed, including depositors that were first cousins with Papakonstantinou.

As such, the public prosecutor that was assigned to the case proposed that Papakonstantinou be indicted on charges of breach of faith, violation of duty and doctoring a document. At the same time he also proposed that his cousin Helen Papakonstantinou, her husband Simeon Sikiaridis and Andreas Rossonis also face the same fate.

The proposal was made several months ago to the Judicial Council, which then convened so as to deliver the relevant Ordinance.

The ordinance that was issued today is irrevocable (ie not subject to any appeal) and is scheduled to be indulged within a ten day period of its release to Papakostadinou as well as to the President of the Greek Parliament.

Now that the ordinance refers Papakonstadinou to trial, the Head of the Greek Parliament has to hold a draw, which will choose the members of the Supreme Court and the State Council that are to rule the case. Basically he has to draw 13 names, and six more alternate names so that the formation of the Special Court (council of judges) is achieved.

The members of the Supreme Court are expected to number seven and six more of the CoE, while the highest ranking member of the Supreme Court is going to exercise presidential duties.

As such, the President of the Special Court, after receiving the list with the names that were drawn in Parliament, must  set a court date within 60 days, along with the place of the official court meeting and the list of witnesses.

Papakonstantinou, who has the right to be represented with up to three lawyers, also has the right not to appear in court. Nonetheless the case will still stand trial whether or not he is there, as was the case with Andreas Papandreou in the Koskotas scandal trial in April of 1991.

It should be noted that Papakonstantinou is not protected by the statue of limitations, which dictates that offenses allegedly committed by ex-ministers expire if two parliaments have sat since the offense.

Let us not forget that the case also accused the former head of the Financial Crime squad Yiannis Diotis and Yiannis Kapeleris of foul play.

Diotis, who was given a copy of the Lagarde list on a memory stick by Papakonstantinou, is alleged to have modified it and faces charges of stealing an official document, while Diotis’s predecessor Kapeleris, who Papakonstantinou gave a sample of 20 names from the list to investigate, faces charges of breach of faith.

Papakonstantinou has kept low after being released on bail, but is still required to appear before police authorities every 15 days. He has denied all charges and claims that he is being made a scapegoat for the inaction of others (meaning Venizelos) and his later departure from government.

The indictment of Papakonstantinou, who undoubtedly has enormous responsibilities in this scandalous case, simply reminds us of how corrupt and distraught the whole political system in Greece actually is.

HellasFrappe also firmly believes that this very same "system" has manipulated the financial crisis so as to acquit people like George Papandreou, and EU puppet Evangelos Venizelos. However, as with every crime there is never a perfect crime, so once you do the crime sooner or later you will have to pay the time.

In any case, George Papakonstantino will be the first politician after the late Andreas Papandreou, Menio Koutsogiorga, Dimitri Tsovola, Panagiotis Roumeliotis and George Petsos who will face a Special Court.

Let us hope he begins talking....

*Editor's Note - The PASOK party and three decades of proven scandals... No the truth is not a technological breakdown in the "system" it is simply the the road to hell. - The song below is dedicated exclusively to the once mighty PASOK party that once again proved to us how rotten -and corrupt to the core- it really is.-)

BUSTED - IKA governor Could Be Facing Fraud Charges

Social Insurance Fund (IKA) governor Rovertos Spyropoulos (a high ranking official from PASOK) could be possibly facing charges for breaching of faith and aggravated fraud against the state, according to a proposal tabled to a Judicial Council by the prosecutor investigating the case of a supermarket chain with million-euro debts to the social insurance organisation.

The case file, according to a report from ANA-MPA, concerns a decision by Spyropoulos to lift the confiscation order of bank accounts that belonged to "Arvanitidis" supermarket chain even though the company owed to IKA 18 million euros in contributions.

The report notes that the prosecutor believes that the two company owners should be charged with moral complicity.

The decision made by Spyropoulos to lift the confiscation of the bank accounts in question, adds the same report, caused damages to the social insurance organization, considering that within a few days after the decision, large amounts, that could have been impounded to repay the debt, disappeared from the company's bank accounts, the prosecutor underlined.

On his part, Spyropoulos has denied all charges, and maintains that all his actions were legal (but then again we have heard this before from many PASOK officials). He has also said that he asked that the confiscation order be lifted to give time to the company to settle its outstanding debts and backpay to its employees, enter a settlement with IKA and avoid bankruptcy.

Suspect in political bribery case to testify on Monday!

The public prosecutor investigating allegations of possible MP bribery has summoned George Soukouris, who was named by Independent Greeks (ANEL) MP Stavroula Xoulidou, to testify in the case as a suspect on Monday. According to Xoulidou, he had hinted that she might receive a sizable amount of money if she agreed to break the party line and participate in a vote for the new president in the present Parliament.

A report from the state news agency ANA-MPA said that the prosecutor in charge of the case considers that evidence presented by ANEL party leader Panos Kammenos implicates Soukouris and needs to be evaluated. Kammenos apparently presented a video that seemed to indicate that the suspect had closer ties to New Democracy than he asserts.

Xoulidou testified that Soukouris had suggested that her vote for a new Greek president might earn her at least two million euros and had also dropped hints that the MP Panagiotis Melas (who is now an independent MP after leaving the ANEL party in the wake of these allegations), had accepted the bribe.

It should be noted that Melas has filed a civil suit over the issue, and has denied all the above as slander.

Soukouris has also denied Xoulidou's claims, underlining that his contacts with ND members were for issues relating to ethnic Greeks from Albania.

Criminal Charges Against 16 For Corruption in Soccer

Athens Prosecutor Ilias Zagoreos slapped criminal charges against 16 suspects in relation to corruption in soccer, following the investigation of deputy prosecutor Aristides Koreas. The charges include the formation and direction of a criminal organization, fraud, extortion, bribery and inciting bodily harm.

Koreas was investigating the case between 2011-2013 and compiled a 173 page report according to which clubs have been relegated and others won millions of euros by participating in European games, through the match fixing process.

Of the 16 suspects, four are Greek Soccer Federation (EPO) officers, two are from the Central Refereeing Committee (KED) and three referees have also been charged. No names have yet been revealed and seven of the 16 suspects face charges of forming a criminal organization.

A report in the To Vima newspaper claims that the criminal organization fixed matches, appointed specific referees to games in order to affect match outcomes and controlled the relegation of soccer teams to the various divisions. The report also notes that the investigation is based on recorded telephone conversations, match results and an explosion that occurred at a referee’s bakery.

Other reports circulating in the Greek press note that the match fixing ring was well organized and using bribery and intimidation to achieve its goals.

Meanwhile, Panathinaikos jumped to third place in the Greek league after Mladen Petric headed in a late goal for a 1-0 win over Panetolikos on Thursday that kept its hopes for a title upset alive.
(Panathinaikos was just a point behind defending champion Olympiakos, which lost 2-1 at home to leader PAOK on Wednesday. The Thessaloniki side leads by five points.)

Asteras Tripoli put on another impressive performance with a 2-0 away win over Niki Volos to rise to fourth place, while rivals on the island of Crete, OFI and Ergotelis, drew 0-0.