A prominent FT article this week warning that a recently passed penal code revision in Greece comprises a “nod” to money laundering generated a first official reaction on Friday, with the government spokesman saying the respected UK-based periodical failed to cite a provision dealing with past cases involving financial crime.
Spokesman Stelios Petsas said the provision in the recently revised Greece penal code allows an investigating magistrate or a judicial council of justices a period of three months in which to decide if an investigation will extend for 18 months.
“We sent a reply (to the Financial Times) regarding such past cases. Today we’re waiting for its (reply) publication,” Petsas said during an appearance during a morning newscast on Athens-based Skai television.
Finally, he claimed that the provision fully harmonizes the country’s penal code with civil law, while even referring to compliance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
To qualify the lofty statement, Petsas said a defendant facing a criminal charge can, under Greek law, be remanded in custody for up to 18 months without trial – a criminal law framework that, itself, can has under criticism over the decades for failing to ensure a speedy trial.
Conversely, when faced with financial crimes charges, he added, a defendant’s bank accounts or other assets could have been frozen, under the previous legal framework, indefinitely.
The FT article raised eyebrows in Greece and abroad, as the months-long Mitsotakis government swept to power in July 2019 on, among others, pledges of delivering structural reforms, privatizations, market-friendly policies and employing best practices throughout the wider public sector, including regulatory authorities.
The opposition pounced on the report, with main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras pointing to a “gift” by the government to rogue bankers, embezzlers and corporate frauds.
