NEWS

Gov’t accused of hiring hundreds at oil firm without transparency

Gov’t accused of hiring hundreds at oil firm without transparency

New Democracy alleges that the government has made hundreds of hirings at Hellenic Petroleum (HELPE) that do not meet the criteria for transparency.

In a parliamentary question to Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis, 21 deputies of the main opposition party are asking for the precise data on all hirings by the state-owned oil company in the last three years.

“All signs point to the government using HELPE to serve client relations and construct a party state,” says New Democracy in a statement.

“Over 300 hirings with non-transparent criteria have been made during the years of the Syriza-Independent Greeks government, while another 70 are expected in the coming period,” it added.

“Such has been the way the corporation is staffed that they even tried to place a contract postman to the post of the Director of Public Relations,” the ND statement alleges.

HELPE is among the companies that are scheduled for further privatization. The state’s 35-percent stake will have to go up for grabs through a tender called by March at the latest, according to the Compliance Report by the European Commission after the third bailout review.

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