It is a matter of absolute urgency that the investigation into the so-called Lagarde list is made a top priority. The authorities need to clear up all the skepticism that has built up around the handling of a list of Greek depositors at a Geneva bank because it is poisoning the political landscape and even undermining the stability of the coalition government.

It is clear that the imbecilic way in which the list was originally handled created a wave of suggestion and criticism, but the time has now come to see who is who and what is what.

The authorities investigating the information today must thoroughly examine the finances of any politicians who may be on the list, while at the same time making it crystal-clear that any depositors who cannot justify the amount of money they have at the bank will be forced to pay what they owe to the state in terms of taxes.

The issue at hand is to find out for certain whether or not the people on the list owe the Greek state money, not to tar everyone with the same brush.