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Lagarde's list in the HOT DOC magazine and the answer of its publisher

28 October 2012 / 16:10:52  GRReporter
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Monthly magazine HOT DOC published the names of 2,059 Greeks who have accounts in the Swiss bank HSBC. The case in point is the so called "Lagarde List", which, for at least two years, has been changing the drawers and pockets of various ministers, as at the same time it is a tool for political and financial extortion.

The people included on the list are not necessarily tax criminals, or "dirty money launderers". But there are hundreds of obvious cases in which clients of the bank have deposits which do not match any of their professional activities.

According to Costas Vaxevanis's HOT DOC magazine, in a special edition which was issued on Saturday, well-known throughout Greece busines people, shipping magnates and journalists are some of the holders of the deposits in HSBC included in the notorious "Lagarde List". This list was submitted two years ago by director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde, to former Finance Minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou.

And now 2,059 "far-famed names" of owners of large deposits, who keep their money in the Swiss bank HSBC, are coming to light.

What Costas Vaxevanis said on the Para 5 show

The owner of the HOT DOC magazine emphasized for Para 5 show that the verification of the data leads to the conclusion that most of the listed are highly likely to evade taxes.

Costas Vaxevanis said that 2,059 names are concerned, among which only three politicians, just one of whom is alive.

Here are some of the names on the list:

George and Fotis Bobolas

Lavrentis Lavrentiadis

Marinopoulos Brothers

The families of shipping magnates Martinou and Patera

Almost all famous jewellers

Dimitris Kopelouzos

The family of businessman Benroubi

Journalist George Trangas

Caricaturist Katherine Shina

Alexis Skanavis, manager at Pegasus publishing house

Stavros Papastavros, adviser to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras

Panagiotis Agraniotis, obstetrician in the prestigious Athenian district of Kolonaki

Vassilios Daniilidis, dentist in Thessaloniki

Ioannis Karaytianos, professor of surgery at the University of Athens and Head of the Surgery Department at St. Sava Hospital

Sotirios Stiloyanis, surgeon in Athens

Ptolemeos Petridis, ENT doctor in Thessaloniki

Giorgos Papadimitriou, gynaecologist in Athens

Eli Mantsi, pediatrician in St. Petka Hospital

Yioanna Sakoula, wife of the founder of Sakoula publishing house

Amalia Moutousi, actress

Alexandra Atanasiadi, sculptor

Spiridon Doukas.

There are also ordinary professionals, housewives and scientists who logically cannot support their accounts in Switzerland with their normal incomes.

The notorious list also includes the names of deceased Ioannis Boutos, Deputy Minister in the government of Kostas Karamanlis, as well as former editor of the Peloponnese newspaper, Spiridonas Doukas.

Following the publication of the list, the prosecution issued a search warrant for publisher-journalist Costas Vaxevanis. In response, he said that he would go alone to the prosecution.

In response to allegations of personal data violation, Vaxevanis claims that the publication does not disclose personal data, because bank transactions do not constitute personal data and besides, there are no specific amounts mentioned next to the names published on the list.

According to the journalist, on the contrary, Evangelos Venizoulos and George Papaconstantinou have committed a violation regarding the list by not having disclosed it publicly. Vaxevanis characterized the judicial actions as tragic, citing publications in the foreign press (Humanite, New York Times) in connection with the prosecution against him.

In this respect the publisher says he will appear alone in the prosecution in order to ask for an explanation "about the illegal and uninstitutional actions" of the prosecution.

Earlier, SYRIZA also spoke about the provocative and unacceptable political persecution. "Unfortunately, justice hurried to set itself going against the one who reveals facts and it tolerates those who conceal the facts," commented the opposition party.

"The vassals of the Three are scared to death - those who betrayed our national sovereignty, are now betraying our constitutional rights - victims of fear and court intimidation", commented the party Independent Greeks.

"In Greece, the law applies to those who reveal lists of bank accounts. There are people among the names who have illegally obtained these accounts. At the same time, however, those who are keeping "forgotten" lists in their desks, and do not publicize them, are left undisturbed," noted independent deputy Nikos Nikopoulos.

In a message, President of the Union of editors of daily newspapers in Athens, Dimitris Trimis, defines the hasty actions by the prosecution against the journalistic investigation as "absolutely hypocritical". Because justice and politicians have allegedly been looking for these publicly disclosed data, but are mutually accusing one another that they cannot find them." "Publicity and transparency are the soul of Democracy and Justice," stresses Dimitris Trimis.

Tags: List Lagarde Costas Vaxevanis HOT DOC magazine HSBC Bank
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