Parliament starts fresh inquiry into Siemens scandal
Parliament launched its latest inquiry into the Siemens cash-for-contracts scandal on Tuesday, with the head of the previous committee – former PASOK MP Syfis Valyrakis – being called as the first witness.
Valyrakis told the committee, which is being led by parliamentary speaker Zoe Constantopoulou, that there is scope for probing the affair more deeply than the previous committee managed. He said that the inquiry would have to put pressure on Siemens to reveal more details about the bribes it allegedly paid to politicians and public officials.
He also suggested that the government should not abide by an out-of-court deal with Siemens, which Constantopoulou fully agreed with. The hearing was disrupted by angry exchanges between the speaker and her predecessor, Evangelos Meimarakis, as well as fellow New Democracy MP Yiannis Tragakis over procedural issues.
