Greece’s relevant transport minister on Wednesday blamed the country’s privatization agency, itself a memorandum-mandated obligation, for delays in the tender process to sell-off a major northern Greece tollway and the state’s stake in the Athens International Airport.
Minister Christos Spirtzis directly pointed to the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF), as the entity is officially called, for the delays, during a meeting with institutional creditors’ top auditors.
Representatives of European creditors (Commission, ESM, ECB) and the IMF returned to Athens this week for talks aimed to finalize the fourth – and last – review of the ongoing bailout. The third consecutive memorandum is due to end on Aug. 20, 2018.
“If the ministry had run the tender we would have finished and received triple the offer,” he said, while referring to “technocratic ineptitude” on the part of the HRADF’s consultants.
