OPINION

Corruption derails state railways

The Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) has become a major problem for the Greek state. Government officials call it the «biggest black hole» in the state budget, even worse than Olympic Airways. The underlying problem became evident in the Siemens bribery scandal, where it was clear that the German corporate giant had its own means of controlling supplies. It goes without saying that wherever there is waste and poor management, lots of things can and do go wrong. Repeated and inexplicable accidents that keep happening on Greece’s railways show this to be all too true. It is only natural that in a badly run state corporation there will be omissions and a lack of professionalism. The government should not consider the political cost but rather put the Hellenic Railways Organization’s affairs in order immediately, before human lives are lost, and all because a handful of politicians have for years been treating OSE as a vehicle for satisfying their political and other ambitions.

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