Parl’t sheds light on MPs’ wealth
Parliament on Tuesday made public political leaders’ and MPs’ source of wealth declaration forms (known as “pothen esches”) in a bid to create a sense of transparency despite a series of corruption scandals.
The forms, which were uploaded onto Parliament’s website, date from 2010 and include the bank account and asset details of all current political leaders.
Partly due to the delay by authorities in processing the forms and partly because of the changes to Parliament’s composition since 2010, following three changes of government, not all current MPs’ forms are included in the published list.
As regards party leaders, the forms do not reveal any major changes in wealth. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who was leader of New Democracy when it was the main opposition party in 2010, declared a total income of 137,212 euros, with his wife declaring 53,600 and a joint declaration for 15 properties. Their deposits in Greek and foreign banks came to 276,600 euros, 25,000 British pounds and 12,825 US dollars.
Socialist PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos declared a joint income of 161,946 euros with his wife and 27 properties. However he also declared deposits of 46,000 euros and 43,894 British pounds in HSBC, which had not been listed in his pothen esches the previous year. Fotis Kouvelis, the head of Democratic Left, which is the third party in the ruling coalition, declared a joint income of 140,000 euros with his wife; each had savings of 172,000 euros and together declared 18 properties.
The leader of the main left-wing opposition SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras, declared an 81,000-euro income, one property and 11,000 euros in savings.
