Bank of Greece (BoG) Gov. Yannis Stournaras on Tuesday reportedly provided testimony to an Athens prosecutor days after controversial Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis personally contacted the central banker on his mobile phone to complain over an inquiry into a 100,000-euro consumer loan he was extended.
Polakis later confirmed the details of the phone conversation, which was leaked to a staunchly pro-government media group the same day. An ensuing political furor revolves around whether Polakis recorded the phone conversation – which he later denied – as well as his “reprimand” and “recommendations” to Stournaras to probe other office-holders’ loans.
According to reports, Stournaras, a former finance minister, provided two hours of testimony, maintaining that Polakis told him he was, in fact, recording the conversation. The BoG governor said he never consented to the taping of the conversation.
