Coalition parties to set up parliamentary inquiry for Papaconstantinou, Lagarde list
Greece’s three governing coalition parties are due to submit to Parliament on Monday a proposal for MPs to investigate former Finance Minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou over allegations that he tampered with the so-called Lagarde list of Greek depositors at HSBC in Switzerland.
According to reports, New Democracy, PASOK and Democratic Left will suggest that Papaconstantinou needs to face a parliamentary inquiry to answer charges of doctoring an official document and breach of duty, offenses which carry sentences of up to 20 years in jail.
The proposal needs just 30 MPs’ signatures to be put to a vote, where a majority decision will be enough to prompt the setting up of an investigative committee.
The panel’s findings will be used to decide whether Papaconstantinou should stand trial.
In an interview with Ethnos newspaper on Sunday, repeated his claims that he did not tamper with the list, which was given to him by the then French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde in 2010.
Papaconstantinou also raised questions about the role of PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos, who succeeded him as finance minister in 2011.
SYRIZA, meanwhile, is pressing for George Papandreou, who was prime minister when the alleged doctoring took place, to face an inquiry.
The fact that details of three accounts from just over 2,000 were missing from the list prosecutors had been investigating was discovered after Greek authorities obtained from the French government the original version of the list two weeks ago.
The three accounts belong to Papaconstantinou’s two cousins and their husbands, according to prosecutors who checked the two versions of the list with the help of the Financial Crimes Squad (SDOE).
