After the former deputy Secretary of Armaments Antonis Kantas agreed to cooperate with the investigation into the corruption and bribery scandal, a second implicated person – who is referred to by his initials “P.E.” and has already faced the German courts – has agreed to cooperate with the investigative prosecutors and reveal the names of Greek officers and foreign businesses involved in the bribery scandal.
Meanwhile, Prosecutor Eleni Raikou is negotiating the return of 15.1 million euros that derived from bribes to Greece from Swiss bank accounts, which Mr. Kantas agreed to return. To that end, a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Kantas’ Swiss accounts manager will be issued, as he objects to the return of the bribes on legal grounds.
Mr. Kantas’ testimonies have been very helpful in the ongoing investigation, with the prosecutors being pleased by the degree of his cooperation and surprised by the extent of the bribery ring. The authorities are soon to begin a thorough investigation of the accounts of seven businessmen who appear to be implicated in the scandal, with further revelation expected to follow. According to Mr. Kantas, the going rate for a bribe in the 1997-2002 period was 0.5%.
The former armaments secretary has also named an arms dealer who had a prominent role in the armament deals of the 1990s. This particular arms dealer, who is well-known for the contacts he had in the Armed Forces in all previous governments, has also been named in court cases in France and Germany.
Based on the preliminary investigation, it appears that the armament scandal involves deals for armor, anti-tank weapons, anti-air missile defense systems, Mirage fighter aircraft and even the ERMIS system used in submarines. Greek authorities are also banking on the cooperation of the implicated foreign companies in order to uncover the truth.
