Fallout from Thursday’s raid of Greek central banker Yannis Stournaras’ residence by anti-corruption prosecutors continued unabated a day later, with the former’s wife, Stavroula Nikolopoulou, charging that her husband was the actual target of the action.
A warrant for a search of Stournaras’ residence was issued in relation to an ongoing judicial investigation into advertising contracts dolled out by the Greek state’s disease prevention and control agency (KEELPNO) between 2011 and 2013.
A media and advertising company managed by Nikolopoulou appears on a list of firms which received such contracts.
“Everyone understands that the real target is my husband, in order to fulfill certain expediencies and choices; that’s the reason for the timing (of the raid),” she said in a statement.
The Bank of Greece governor himself phoned Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to inform him of the action, with sources at the latter’s office merely noting afterwards that both men agreed that it was a matter left up to the independent judiciary and that cooperation between the government and the central bank would not suffer.
No statement was issued after the phone call by Stournaras’ office.
Tsipras’ close aides also claimed that the Greek prime minister was informed of the raid by Stournaras.
The development comes immediately after press reports over the past week that the BoG rejected two appointments for the board of directors of Attica Bank, a non-systemic lender in the country, which that has for decades been managed by the engineers’ pension fund, its biggest shareholder. The press reports were neither confirmed or denied, and followed more leaks of a BoG refusal to sign-off on a series of large loans eyed by other banks.
The prospect of Panayiotis Roumeliotis assuming Attica Bank’s CEO position and Gerassimos Sapountzoglou picked for non-executive president were viewed by the domestic credit market and the opposition as political appointments by the leftist SYRIZA government.
The BoG also reportedly blocked the appointment of another executive to head the pension fund (TSMEDE).
The warrant for a search of Yannis and Stavroula Nikolopoulou-Stournaras’ residence was ordered by the relevant head of the anti-corruption unit, prosecutor Eleni Raikou.
Documents and electronic files were seized, all relating to the company managed by Stournaras’ wife.
Currently, charges of breach of faith have been filed against the president and board members of KEELPNO during the specific period, 2011-2013.
The charges are related to an ad campaign worth millions of euros for public service spots on television stations, websites and periodicals.
