ECONOMY

Recipients of big loans are checked for money sent abroad

Recipients of big loans are checked for money sent abroad

Companies, entrepreneurs and borrowers in general who have received major bank loans since 2009 and sent most or all of the money abroad are under close scrutiny.

Financial prosecutor Ioannis Dragatsis is focusing on loans of over 30 million euros that are currently classified as nonperforming.

The prosecutor has asked banks to supply their lists of all their borrowers who received big loans in the first few years of the economic crisis and whose debts are not being serviced today within the next five days in order to cross-check them against a list of sums sent abroad supplied by the Bank of Greece.

The prosecutor’s aim is to establish whether any of the loans issued became deposits or investments abroad.

Meanwhile, just 137 cases from the infamous Lagarde list of Greeks with deposits in Switzerland have been investigated since 2013, according to Finance Ministry data.

The leftist-led government vowed that the cases would be swiftly inspected, but even today it will not assist the financial prosecutors in the appointment of more inspectors that would allow for the investigation of more cases. In 2015, 96 cases were completed, after 38 in 2014 and just three in 2013.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.