Witch-hunt in the Greek parliament for wealthy spouses

28 February 2012 / 22:02:51 GRReporter

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Photo: Vima

Remember the old communist joke about computers that were actually compotes and were not for export but for import. This is how the story about the mysterious Greek deputy, who has legally but immorally exported one million euro in a Swiss bank to save them from the troubled Greek financial institutions, has evolved in general. A whole week, the media and politicians in crumbling Greece are dealing with the case as if this is the top priority for the ruined economy.
    And the bomb exploded just the day when the Greek parliament passed a law horizontally reducing salaries and pensions. The man who has committed the terrible "crime" is Isidoros Kouvelos, the husband of the former foreign minister and current deputy and leader of the Democratic Alliance, Dora Bakogiannis. However, in the first place, it is not about a deputy, but a relative of a deputy. Second, it is not about one million euro but about one million dollars. Third, it is not about a Swiss bank but a bank in London. Fourth, the money is not withdrawn from Greece but from the USA. And fifth, it was not invested in a savings accounts but in the business activity of the shipping entrepreneur. Actually, there is a sixth too. The transaction was not carried out in March, as the prosecutor stated, but in May.
    Initially, the information was delivered by the head of the commission, investigating money laundering, himself and submitted to the head of the financial control committee to the Greek parliament.
    It is about shares acquired in the USA and sold in the USA. Then, the amount was transferred to a Greek bank from which it was sent to London for the purchase of a new vessel. The activity was declared in the tax return of the family. "I have been developing a business in the field of shipping both in London and in Athens for 37 years now, where there is no room for distortions and lies, and everything is transparent. I have never expected such a pure business activity to be distorted in such a way," says the official message by Isidorok Kouvelos.
    Meanwhile, the same prosecutors and parliamentary heads have threatened to have "caught" another 7-8 deputies with suspicious bank transfers of over 100,000 euro to Swiss banks. No details have been submitted except the promise that more information will be available in the coming days.