Probe on bond not in line with law
Supreme Court prosecutor Giorgos Sanidas yesterday threw out the results of a probe into the bond scandal by the head of the committee for combating money laundering, Giorgos Zorbas, claiming it was not legally valid and that the corruption buster had overstepped his authority. Sanidas said that the report was not acceptable because it had not been signed by the other 11 members of the committee. The court’s chief prosecutor also said that Zorbas should have ceased his investigation once a specially appointed magistrate had begun an inquiry into the matter. Zorbas’s report suggested that Finance Ministry officials knew the 280-million-euro Greek government paper would be sold on to four pension funds. According to leaked extracts, he also indicated that some intermediaries had made excessive profits and some money ended up with a political party, which was not identified. The results of the probe were submitted as the government prepared to call early elections but were rejected just days later by prosecutor Giorgos Koliocostas, who also said the other members of the committee should have signed the report. «There is no question of a tug of war between Mr Koliocostas and Mr Zorbas,» said Sanidas. «It is clear that Mr Koliocostas acted according to the law whereas in many cases Mr Zorbas did not.» Zorbas said that Sanidas’s decision was not addressed to him but refused to elaborate.
