Prosecutor Blasts Tsohatzopoulos

Former PASOK minister Akis Tsohatxopoulos was lambasted for acceptinb millions of euros in bribes, the cost of which was passed on to the heavily indebted Greek people, by prosecutor Georgia Adilini, who asked for his exemplary punishment. Tsohatzopoulos is the first Greek politician to stand in the dock accused of corruption.
According to the prosecutor there are three main pillars for his condemnation: a) the accounts through which the money was transferred, b) the testimony of Tsohatzopoulos' cousin Nikos Zigras, and c) the testimony of Zigra's ex-wife that highlighted the role of former Cyprus minister of interior Dinos Michailidis as the courier that carried suitcases of illicit money to Tsohatzopoulos.
As concerns the kickback for the purchase of the anti-aircraft missile system TOR M1 from Russian firm Antei, the prosecutor estimated that it alone amounted to 81 million euros, about a 10% of what the state paid for it. The prosecutor estimated that from the initial outlay paid at the signing, around 40% of the system's 850 million euro price tag, around 25 million went directly to Tsohatzopoulos' pocket.
In her address to the court, Adilini noted that political corruption was a global phenomenon no less severe than the problem of drugs and terrorism, citing cases of political bribery by firms such as Siemens, Chrysler, and Glaxo, adding that there was a necessity for a constitutional amendement that would provide for prosecuting politicians, like provided for in other national constitutions.