Tsipras attacks the government due to the Siemens scandal

On the occasion of the out-of-court settlement with Siemens and talking about "the biggest cover-up scandal after the political changeover", Alexis Tsipras attacked the tri-party government. In the context of the current question of the party's MPs now being discussed in parliament, the SYRIZA president revealed that the legal advisor of the PM "who apparently advised Samaras on the out-of-court settlement", was paid by the black funds of the German colossus in the period of Michael Christoforakos’ omnipotence, and clarified that "when we assume political power we will cancel the shameful agreement and assign the assessment of the damage to third parties."

Tsipras said that "sometimes the sequence of events alone reveals hidden secrets. The largest and most symbolic scandal after the political changeover was that of Siemens, for which there is no doubt that the 2 parties that have rotated in power have full and undivided responsibility. This scandal shows that you spent it all together." He added that Samaras’ government signed the out-of-court settlement one day before the Greek PM’s meeting with Angela Merkel and that "alas, he would not go empty-handed. He gave her 2 billion."

Addressing Finance minister Yannis Stournaras he said "lighthearted, while erasing and re-writing the list with the 15 billion in new measures of horizontal cuts, you give the German company 2 billion euros. The people have a wise proverb, "you do not bite the hand that feeds you." Today you proved that the country went bankrupt due to a gang who is now trying to sell it out."

Tsipras attacked Samaras again, saying "how can one explain the urgency of the prime minister to say nothing of what every Greek citizen thinks to Merkel. That the program is unsustainable and doomed to fail. No one dared to say even the most obvious, that new austerity measures will exacerbate the problem. Either the prime minister suffers from victimization syndrome - the Stockholm syndrome - or some sins of the political systems you serve do not allow you to state the obvious."

He added that "the prime minister has not appeared in parliament since he discussed the programmatic statements. Whose legal advice did Samaras receive about the out-of-court settlement? The logical answer is his legal adviser Karakostas' who, apart from being a legal consultant to Siemens, received remittances from its sub-fund, the same place where Karavelas, Skarpelis and Mandelis also received their bribes from. Did the prime minister know that his legal adviser was remunerated by the black funds of Siemens and what was his role in the settlement? And now that he does know, what will he do about it?"

"Growth and extension are the new political scams"

Lastly, the SYRIZA president spoke about the new measures of the government, saying that "just before the new hikes, there are 2 words left to the internal Troika: growth and extension, the two new political scams. The extension will result in disaster. Growth means selling everything, even our islands. In a country with its incomes and natural wealth plundered, there can be no development and a national imperative to halt this destructive path will come faster than you think."

Finance minister Yannis Stournaras defended the out-of-court settlement’s benefit to the Greek State. Responding to the SYRIZA allegations about "criminal offenses" he said "I'm in the government due to patriotic duty and not to do dirty jobs."

Stournaras said he consulted the Legal Council of State before signing the compromise and that "I was authorized to sign an agreement approved by the parliament. The Greek government proceeded to what other countries had done since 2008 in order to avoid lengthy and costly procedures. The settlement procedure was thorough and transparent."

He said that if there were no settlement "the company would close" and that "the Greek democracy withdraws from claims of a civil nature and not criminal ones." He explained that the outcome of the inquiry committee that assesses the loss of the Greek State at 2 billion euros was based on "not such valid evidence. It would be detrimental if we insisted on such claims when the respective total compensation did not exceed 1.7 billion euros. The total turnover of the company was approximately 3 billion, so it could not have given a 2-billion-bribe, this amount does not appear anywhere. We must be realistic."

Tsipras replied that "we do not think you are 'dirty', but a lot of people around you are" and added, "do not use the drachma as a threat because it is the austerity policies that bring the drachma. The fear of the destruction of the euro came with the implementation of austerity policies."