Thirty eight politicians with funds abroad

"In your institutional role, I invite you to ask all Greek MPs and members of the Government who maintain bank accounts abroad to return their bank deposits to our country, as a supreme patriotic duty and as an example for all our citizens" he said in his short letter, which has intensified both the distrust in the political system and revived public debate on a question of major political and moral order: "Do Greeks politicians have deposits abroad?"

The answer is "yes" shown through recent assets statements of Greek politicians published by the House in late 2013. Through these it is clear that even in 2012, at a time when the country was on the brink and Greek banks on the verge of collapse due to the enormous outflow of deposits, dozens of Greek politicians chose safety abroad, keeping active bank accounts in banks abroad. It follows from the 2013 assets statements (FY 2012), foreign deposits declared contained collectively: 7,226,779 euros, 639,656 US dollars, 1,128,638 pounds and 69 024 Swiss francs. These figures certainly will not solve the problem of Greek banks, however, the practice alone is sufficient to bring to the debate the pressing question: "Is what is legal also moral?".

Those that maintained active bank accounts abroad amid the crisis, with deposits of even several hundred thousand euros, include politicians from the whole of the political spectrum, including the government.

The list includes such “special” cases as former prime ministers Costas Simitis and Lucas Papademos, as well as top officials of the economic team of the current government and members of SYRIZA, such as Euclides Tsakalotos, Nadia Valavani, and Theano Fotiou. One rather shocking disclosure is the sequestering of over 300,000 euros by former finance minister Gkikas Hardouvelis. The accounts also include a broad range of currencies, apart from deposits in euros, such as deposits in US dollars and Swiss francs. All are now eagerly awaiting the 2014 asset statements, which the House has scandalously slow to disclose, to determine whether and which of those included in this list brought back their money. With regard to the new ministers, such as Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis, their statements will be published after about two years.