Arms deal case ends with whimper
Yet another controversial case that has been pending since PASOK’s tenure in government – specifically, allegations that the Greek state was hurt by the purchase of Russian-made TOR-M1 missiles between 1998 and 2000 – will be closed as of tomorrow. In a repeat of the charges against PASOK officials for their role in the bursting of Greece’s stock-market bubble, the arms deal case was shelved when the statute of limitations was deemed to have run out. We should remember that as an opposition party, conservative New Democracy used both alleged scandals to boost its pre-election campaign. In fact, the corruption allegations against the PASOK governments are thought to have helped pave the Conservatives’ path to victory to a significant degree. That outcome means that New Democracy officials should not complain about potential offenses in the future. Despite the blatant contradictions and inconsistencies in the testimony of the accused socialist officials and despite the plethora of unanswered questions, the suspects will, thanks to the statute of limitations, avoid trial and enjoy quiet sleep – all this despite the strong suspicion of wrong-doing. People’s waning trust in the parties’ armaments deals are only a small indication of the damage done to a political system that persistently fails to give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.
