2008 Siemens alleged scandal in Greece
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Siemens scandal in Greece was a corruption
and bribery
scandal
that hit Greece
over deals between Siemens AG
and Greek government officials during the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens
regarding security systems and purchases by OTE
in the 1990s.
Charges have, as of 27 August 2008, not been bought against any specific individual, as under Greek law charges can be filled against "any responsible person".
So far, no wrongdoing has been proved, either by Siemens, by Greek government officials, or anyone else.
Although there is no conclusive evidence, the scandal has created a serious change in the attitudes of the Greek public, most notably a dissatisfaction with both main political parties in Greece, Nea Dimokratia and PASOK
, and the alleged scandal may have been responsible for a shift of the electorate towards "third parties" such as SYRIZA and LAOS
. In Greek press it is claimed that such political dissatisfaction, whether driven by the public imagination or real judicial evidence, may make certain politicians of the two major political parties split and form new parties, possibly destabilising the Greek elections system and creating a "hole of authority" leading to a vicious circle of political instability, if the Greek people don't reach a new consensus over which major political parties best represent their ideals.
It has been claimed that the political outcome of the case may be analogous to that of Italy
15 years ago.
It has been claimed that the bribes may have been up to 100 million Euro. These bribes were allegedly given in order to win state contracts.
Contrary to the scandal, Siemens continues to enjoy the confidence of the Greek consumers to its products and there are no data that indicate any shift in the consuming preferences of the Greek customers regarding Siemens and its competitors.
It is that a few PASOK
members acting as individuals may have been involved, although this is simply a claim and nothing has been proved or at least any evidence come to light.
A Greek prosecutor
, after 2 years of investigations, filled charges on 1 July 2008 for money laundering
and bribery
.
It has been claimed that it is certain Siemens divisions that were involved in the transactions.
Tasos Mantelis who was Minister for Transport and Communications during the PASOK administration in 1998 admitted in May 2010 to a parliamentary investigation committee that the sum of 200,000 German marks was deposited in 1998 in a Swiss bank account from Siemens during his administration, allegedly for funding his election campaign. A further depost of 250,000 German marks was made into the same bank account in 2000 which Mantelis claims is from an unknown source.
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
and bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
scandal
Scandal
A scandal is a widely publicized allegation or set of allegations that damages the reputation of an institution, individual or creed...
that hit Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
over deals between Siemens AG
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
and Greek government officials during the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
regarding security systems and purchases by OTE
OTE
Hellenic Telecommunications Organization S.A. , usually known by its Greek initials OTE, is the dominant telecommunications provider in Greece. Formerly a state-owned monopoly, OTE was part-privatized in 1998 and is now listed on the Athens and New York Stock Exchanges...
in the 1990s.
Charges have, as of 27 August 2008, not been bought against any specific individual, as under Greek law charges can be filled against "any responsible person".
So far, no wrongdoing has been proved, either by Siemens, by Greek government officials, or anyone else.
Although there is no conclusive evidence, the scandal has created a serious change in the attitudes of the Greek public, most notably a dissatisfaction with both main political parties in Greece, Nea Dimokratia and PASOK
Panhellenic Socialist Movement
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party...
, and the alleged scandal may have been responsible for a shift of the electorate towards "third parties" such as SYRIZA and LAOS
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. In Greek press it is claimed that such political dissatisfaction, whether driven by the public imagination or real judicial evidence, may make certain politicians of the two major political parties split and form new parties, possibly destabilising the Greek elections system and creating a "hole of authority" leading to a vicious circle of political instability, if the Greek people don't reach a new consensus over which major political parties best represent their ideals.
It has been claimed that the political outcome of the case may be analogous to that of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
15 years ago.
It has been claimed that the bribes may have been up to 100 million Euro. These bribes were allegedly given in order to win state contracts.
Contrary to the scandal, Siemens continues to enjoy the confidence of the Greek consumers to its products and there are no data that indicate any shift in the consuming preferences of the Greek customers regarding Siemens and its competitors.
It is that a few PASOK
Panhellenic Socialist Movement
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party...
members acting as individuals may have been involved, although this is simply a claim and nothing has been proved or at least any evidence come to light.
A Greek prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
, after 2 years of investigations, filled charges on 1 July 2008 for money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
and bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
.
It has been claimed that it is certain Siemens divisions that were involved in the transactions.
Tasos Mantelis who was Minister for Transport and Communications during the PASOK administration in 1998 admitted in May 2010 to a parliamentary investigation committee that the sum of 200,000 German marks was deposited in 1998 in a Swiss bank account from Siemens during his administration, allegedly for funding his election campaign. A further depost of 250,000 German marks was made into the same bank account in 2000 which Mantelis claims is from an unknown source.
See also
- Siemens scandalSiemens scandalof January 1914 was one of several spectacular political scandals of late Meiji and Taishō period Japanese politics, leading to the fall of the cabinet of Yamamoto Gonnohyoe...
, refers to the 1914 scandal in Japan that involved "... collusion between several high ranking members of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the British company Vickers and the German industrial conglomerate of Siemens AG."