George Papandreou may have left the post of Prime Minister of Greece infamously and with a scandal, but has taken care that his closest associates get cushy jobs, which although not ministerial, will help them maintain the high standard which they have got used in recent years.
Such a case is Tina Birbili, who was Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change for some time but, after the second restructuring of Papandreou’s cabinet, was replaced by George Papakonstantinou. She has been appointed by presidential decree as a Greek representative at the Permanent Representation of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. Birbili was appointed to the position in September and after the regularization of her post on November 14 this year, she has been paid her first monthly salary of € 12,000. Adding the costs of personal driver, car, the rent for her housing and overheads, the amount reaches the immodest sum of € 35,272.16, which come out of the pockets of ordinary Greek taxpayers every month to maintain the career of one of Papandreou’s favourites. The term of the position is five years.
According to the Greek press, the protocol of the Economic Department at the Ministry of Regional Development and Competitiveness (still headed by Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis) with reference 48810/ΔΙΟ 8897 has approved the expenditure amounting to € 6,233.92 for the transportation of Tina Birbili from Athens to Paris. At the end of the document, it is noted that the remaining cost for the former minister is € 29,138.24.
The shocking transfer comes at a time when cost cutting in the public sector is a top priority to save the country. Or at least, that is the official version. The fee of the Spanish architect of international fame Jose Eusebio, who was adviser to Papandreou on the operation of the old airport Hellinikon has also caused a scandal. For his advice, he received about € 180,000 although the infrastructure of the old airport in close proximity to the coastal districts of Attica, Glyfada, Alimos and Palio Faliro remains unused.
Last year, the Government of Papandreou announced imposingly that there was an investment interest in Hellinikon from Qatar. There were talks about the construction of one of the largest tourist complexes in Europe with casinos, hotels, parks and other attractions. The reasons for the failure of the Qatar investment were many and different, but one of them was the intervention of the European Union, after pressure from Germany, which described as "non-transparent" the role of the Spanish architect Jose Eusebio in the airport development project. He is a personal friend of the Greek Prime Minister Papandreou and to allay suspicion, he announced that the architect would evaluate this project for free. Apparently, however, what is free has its price and it turned out to be € 180,000.
In early May 2011, the opposition New Democracy required the government of Papandreou to clarify the role of the Spanish architect in the project for the development of the old airport. "It took them seven months to tell a small part of the whole truth. Obviously, there are many hidden secrets," New Democracy spokesman Yannis Mihelakis commented on the recent recognition of the Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change George Papakonstantinou concerning the fee paid to Jose Eusebio. The only thing Papakonstantinou gave in response to allegations of non-transparency and payments under the table was that the accusations are ridiculous and a fee of € 180,000 for an architect like Eusebio is not high. However, the fact is that the Socialist government did not tell the truth at the beginning when they were asked whether the foreigner, with unclear role, was paid for his presence in the close circle of George Papandreou.
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