A poor illusion of justice
Both ruling PASOK and opposition New Democracy have asked for a probe into the role of party officials in a major financial scandal. This is unprecedented behavior and in a way it is a good sign. But, it is also an act of hypocrisy as both parties know that the charges no longer apply because of the statue of limitations. The law on this issue is clear and Parliament has a duty to respect it, not to present judges with cases that have already been closed in order to later place the blame on them when they do their job by confirming that the charges no longer apply. The Greek public needs to see politicians who have done wrong by the law brought to task, and the case of the Siemens cash-for-contracts scandal is no exception. But, what will happen now? No one will be punished on the one hand because the case will never make it to court, while, on the other, the politicians named will never get the opportunity to prove their innocence in court. Neither scenario will cleanse the system or placate public opinion, which is well aware of the «crime» but sees no punishment.
