Siemens faces tender ban
One of Greece’s highest administrative courts, the State Legal Council, has begun examining whether there are grounds to exclude the German electronics and engineering giant Siemens from future public tenders as a result of its implication in a bribery scandal. Prosecutors are still investigating whether the company’s Greek branch made under-the-table payments to Greek politicians and senior officials to secure lucrative state contracts but former Economy and Finance Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis had last year asked the court to look at whether Siemens, or any company guilty of unprofessional conduct, should be excluded from the process altogether. However, sources told Kathimerini that the request is only now being looked into. PASOK leader George Papandreou last September requested that Siemens be excluded from public tenders. Siemens is likely to appeal any decision against it, citing the compliance program adopted by the company since it became embroiled in bribery scandals in several countries.
