Ex-minister Loverdos slammed over claims of opposition to IMF ahead of bailout
Former labor and health minister Andreas Loverdos has come under attack after claiming over the weekend that some members of the cabinet, including himself, opposed the decision to seek help from the International Monetary Fund in 2010.
Loverdos claimed that he and fellow ministers Anna Diamantopoulou and Yiannis Ragousis advised against turning to the IMF but Prime Minister George Papandreou was in favor of the move and was supported by Finance Minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou and Economy Minister Louka Katseli.
Papandreou issued a statement insisting that there was a unanimous Cabinet decision in May 2010 to agree the first memorandum of understanding with the IMF, as well as the European Commission and European Central Bank.
“Why is he making such a break from the truth?” wondered Papandreou in his statement.
The ex-premier attributed Loverdos’s statement to efforts to publicize the political movement, RIKSSY, he launched recently.
“What a shame, Andreas,” concluded Papandreou.
Speaking to Skai TV on Monday, Panos Beglitis, who held the position of Alternate Defense Minister at the time, insisted that there as a unanimous Cabinet decision to turn to the mechanism set up by the troika.
He said that Germany and others within Europe insisted that the IMF take part because of its know-how in creating fiscal adjustment programs.
