Effort to put end to Liapis junket affair

PASOK wants to see Siemens in court

The government sought publicly yesterday to put an end to the speculation about the future of Culture Minister Michalis Liapis, as PASOK leader George Papandreou called for the ruling conservatives to take legal action against Siemens for allegedly using bribes to secure state contracts.

Liapis has been under pressure since it was reported that he took part in a junket organized by Siemens Hellas in 2005 to watch the Greek soccer team in action in a friendly tournament in Germany.

But the minister produced copies of receipts on Thursday that showed he paid for his flights and accommodation. Liapis insists that he traveled about in Germany in a rental car but has yet to produce receipts for this.

There has also been criticism that Liapis took part in a trip that was organized by the secretary of former Siemens boss Michalis Christoforakos, in which several businessmen took part.

However, government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos indicated that Liapis’s explanations have been deemed satisfactory.

“As far as the government is concerned, the matter is closed,” he told journalists.

This is in contrast to the take on events given by government sources, who suggest that Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is unhappy that Liapis has allowed his judgment to be questioned.

The issue affects Karamanlis much more personally than scandals involving other ministers in the past as Liapis is the prime minister’s cousin.

There is also concern within New Democracy that the attention on Liapis has helped take the spotlight off PASOK’s internal problems.

The Socialist party’s leader sought to make political capital from the situation yesterday by calling on the government to take legal action against Siemens and prevent it from cashing in on state contracts.

Papandreou set out a list of proposals that included the setting up of a parliamentary committee to investigate possible bribery of politicians; the taking of legal action against Siemens to secure compensation; the launch of a probe by the financial crimes squad and the task force for combating money laundering, and for the Greek state to stop concluding deals with Siemens, as the company has admitted to paying bribes to secure contracts.