Prosecutor takes over graft probe
Judicial authorities took delivery yesterday of a police report on an alleged bribery scandal involving a relative of a former deputy minister who had been employed as a ministry adviser. The case was handed to prosecutor Dimitris Asprogerakas, who will then decide whether there is enough evidence to prosecute. An investigation into the bank accounts of Christos Theofanidis, brother-in-law of former Deputy Development Minister Christos Theodorou, revealed unexplained payments of some 2 million euros at the time that Theofanidis was working as a ministry adviser – during the tenure of his brother-in-law. Theodorou, a 50-year-old PASOK MP for Evia, held his Cabinet post from October 2001 to last July. He has denied any wrongdoing, arguing that he sacked his brother-in-law and that Theofanidis worked as a legal adviser and had nothing to do with public procurements. Claiming to have been picked as a scapegoat, Theodorou has said he will not stand for re-election in the forthcoming national polls.
