DEKA probe causes sharp political row
The revelation by the New Democracy party that a public prosecutor has forwarded to parliamentary authorities a report on the alleged misuse of state funds by the government to prop up the flagging Athens bourse ahead of the April 2000 elections caused an acrimonious exchange yesterday between the government and the main opposition party. The forwarding of the report by Dimitris Asprogerakas to Parliament speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis would imply that the prosecutor has requested the house to investigate the possibility of government ministers being held accountable for the stock purchases by the state portfolio management company (DEKA). Yesterday, National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou claimed the conservatives were investing politically in the stock exchange fall. He also attacked the judiciary. ND spokesman Theodoris Roussopoulos said the government is displaying an increasing deficit of decency and a surplus of cheek.
