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"Blue" and "green" names in the report on the Siemens scandal, changes in the law on ministerial responsibility are expected

18 January 2011 / 12:01:27  GRReporter
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Control parliamentary committee judgements on the Siemens case are expected at the end of the week. The report of more than 1000 pages will be divided into chapters presenting the different sides of the scandal. It will contain proposals to no repetition of such cases and will disclose the names of politicians involved.

It seems that both major parties agree the names of members of PASOK as well as of New Democracy who have caused damage to the country to be entered in the report but this does not mean that they will prepare a general report.

"Names will be disclosed because exactly they are related to acts and omissions that were made in the management of the most serious case of political and financial scandal in the country," said the leader of the MPs from the main opposition party participating in the control committee Costas Tzavaras. "The names of members of New Democracy and PASOK and any other party will be disclosed," he said answering the question whether the committee will announce names of both major parties’ members. For its part, the government claimed that it is determined to end impunity even if that means people from PASOK to be punished.

According to certain information, both major parties agree on the contents of the report behind the scenes but the outcome is not clear.

"It is obvious that both parties have reached an agreement which we oppose. Fortunately, there are independent voices in New Democracy and PASOK but we do not know if they will not be broken," said the spokesman of the far-right party LAOS Kostis Aivaliotis.

"New Democracy and PASOK are about to put the blame on all those considered ‘beaten cards.’ As in the Vatopedi case, the official prescription will be announced by the court a little later will and they will play the innocent," is the opinion of Dimitrios Papadimoulis, MP of the left coalition of SYRIZA.

Meanwhile, according to a publication in Ta Nea newspaper which refers to informers from the government, the Prime Minister George Papandreou had discussed the initiative for changing the law on ministerial responsibility during his meeting with the Minister of Justice Haris Kastanidis in Parliament. The same sources say that the Prime Minister had asked the law be changed without delay within the existing Constitution despite the technical obstacles.

In practice, only minor changes in the law are possible to be made now as the law could be radically changed only after revising the constitution. The government is expected to present in the coming days its initiatives for change in the law which will be also based on the proposals by the Committee on Institutions and Transparency at the Greek Parliament. Mass media often refer to the current law as the law for ministerial non-responsibility.  

During the meeting with the Minister of Justice the Prime Minister has repeated his belief that everything be brought to light in order to balance to the Greek political system and to explore in depth the cases involving politicians.

Several ministers made similar statements and the government spokesman George Petalotis confirmed the intention of the Prime Minister to change the law on ministerial responsibility because "it is not possible impunity to exist for anybody." He said "the responsibility of Greek politicians to Greek people is the same and impunity should be condoned neither as a thought nor as an idea." "We are determined and firm on impunity. It can not be accepted by this government," said the Greek government spokesman. 

Tags: PoliticsScandalSiemensReportLaw on ministerial responsibility
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