Greece Updates - August 18 , 2013 - Latest Privatization Agency Head forced out in corruption scandal...... Greece rounds on tax evaders as even if they pay , they still go to jail ( of course the real " whale " tax evaders will not be charged of course )........More austerity on the way , more bank bailouts on the way , more lies from Greece Pols saying all is well / things are getting better / no more austerity cuts after this last round... Yada , Yada , Yada.......

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-18/latest-greek-corruption-scandal-costs-new-privatization-agency-head-his-job

Latest Greek Corruption Scandal Costs New Privatization Agency Head His Job

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 08/18/2013 13:13 -0400

• Bond
 
• Corruption
 
• European Central Bank
 
• European Union
 
• France
 
• Gambling
 
• Greece
 
• International Monetary Fund
 
• Newspaper
 
• Private Jet
 
• recovery
 
• Reuters

For the past five years Greece, stuck in its worst depression in history with two-thirds of work eligible youths unemployed, has been actively blaming all of its problems on "(f)auxterity" even as we said all along that the Greek problems have nothing to do with how much money its government spends and everything to do with corrupt, complicit and frequently criminal politicians. Today we got the latest confirmation that we were correct after the Greek finance minister Stournaras asked for the resignation of the Greek privatisation agency chief, Stavridis, following a newspaper report that he traveled on the private plane of a businessman who just bought a state company with Stavridis' blessings.

Amusingly, this is the second privatisation agency head to roll in less than six months which perhaps explains why this particular aspect of the Greek "recovery" (recall privatisation was supposed to generate €50 billion in proceeds once upon a time toward paying back the Troika) is such a failure. But then again, since once can extend the underlying graft and corruption observed here to all other facets of Greek society (and not only Greek but every other insolvent peripheral European nation where it is every politician for himself), one can understand quite well why nothing is being done, why there are no actual reforms, and why as long as the ECB controls the bond market and gives the impression all is well, the plunder from the ordinary people will continue. For the simple reason that nothing has changed.

Of course, the pillage will continue only as long as there is still something to be pillaged. Which in the case of Greece is increasingly less.

From Reuters:

Stelios Stavridis is the second head of HRADF to leave in less than six months, reigniting controversy around Greece's ailing privatisation programme which is a key part of its international bailout.

Delays and privatisation receipt shortfalls are a constant headache for the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, which bankroll Greece's 240-billion-euro rescue.

The lenders said last month that they would review the way HRADF was operating, after it emerged that the agency would miss its 2013 revenue target by about 1 billion euros.

"Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras asked today for the resignation of HRADF chairman Stelios Stavridis," the finance ministry said in a brief statement.

A finance ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Stavridis's resignation was effective immediately. Stavridis was not immediately available for comment.

What happened was simple: Stavridis "negotiated" a deal allowing Greek billionaireDimitirs "Tiger" Melissandis, who is listed on the Forbes 500 with a net worth of around $3 billion, and is the owner of Aegean Marine Petroleum, to buy a one-third stake in OPAP as co-owner of the Emma Delta consortium, on terms that were certainly preferential to Emma Delta, if perhaps not so much to the Greek people. The quid-pro-quo was a jaunt on the Tiger's private jet to his "holiday home."

The official said the dismissal followed a report in Proto Thema on Saturday that Stavridis travelled last week on the private plane of shipowner Dimitris Melissanidis, a major shareholder of a Greek-Czech consortium which in May agreed to buy a 33 percent stake in state gambling firm OPAP.

According to the newspaper report, he admitted he used Melissanidis's plane to travel to his holiday home.

"Melissanidis, who was travelling to France, offered to take me with him to accommodate me," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Stavridis took the flight immediately after the signing of an agreement to finalise the 652 million-euro OPAP deal, Proto Thema said.

HRADF chief executive Yannis Emiris told Reuters he was keeping his post and that Greece's ailing privatisation programme would not suffer from Stavridis's resignation.

"There will be absolutely no delays to the programme," he said, rejecting the idea that the OPAP deal might be reversed as a result of Stavridis's resignation.

The finance ministry official confirmed the OPAP deal would not be affected and the Stavridis's resignation was for "ethical reasons".

Stavridis's predecessor Takis Athanasopoulos stepped down after he was charged by a prosecutor with breach of duty over his former role as chairman of a state utility.

One can almost discern a pattern here. Then again, why ascribe to chronic corruption when scapegoating all problems to "(f)auxterity" will do just fine.

http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2013/08/18/greeces-tax-evaders-will-go-to-prison-even-if-they-pay-their-debts/

( Why pay if you still go to jail ? ) 

Greece’s tax evaders will go to prison even if they pay their debts

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Economy

Oh dear. The logic has sailed away from this country. Greece’s economic team prepares a law according to which tax evaders will go to prison even if they pay their debts. The plan was revealed to RealNews weekly by deputy finance minister Giorgos Mavraganis.

At the same time, movable and immovable property and assets of those arrested for tax evasion, for money laundering and false income declarations about where they found the money (‘pothen esxes’) will be immediately confiscated. Even before the courts decide – which currently may need 10 years due to  bureaucracy.

On the issue of imprisonment it is not clear yet what will be the period behind bars and for which debt amount the debtor will be deprived of his free life. The economic team reportedly considers  prison terms for debts of 150,000 euro in Value Added Tax and 200,000 euro for other tax debts.

The law is expected to be submitted to the Parliament by September 15, 2013.

PS Wasn’t it much better when I was reported of deep blue sea, rocks and pine trees?

http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2013/08/18/greek-finmin-if-home-foreclosures-wont-be-allow-banks-will-collapse/

Greek FinMin: “If home foreclosures won’t be allow, banks will collapse”

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Economy

That’s certainly the most provocative statement and the worst joke of this August: Greek Finance Minister Yiannis Stournaras warned that if home foreclosures won’t start banks would collapse. speaking to Sunday newspaper Realnews, Stournaras added that special provisions will be met with social and economic criteria to protect the poor.
Troika is putting pressure to Greece to lift the ban on home foreclosures imposed in 2008. End of 2012 the ban was supposed to be lifted but Athens managed to get extension for another year.

 Greece will lift restrictions on home foreclosures to allow banks to recover bad loans, the finance minister said on Saturday, adding fuel to a row that may test the cohesion of its fragile coalition government.
Cash-strapped banks are currently barred from auctioning most first homes owned by delinquent borrowers, under a temporary measure introduced in 2010 to protect austerity-hit households.
The freeze on forced auctions, which has already been extended three times and is set to expire on December 31, should not be extended any further, technocrat finance minister Yannis Stournaras said.
“If auctions aren’t liberalised, then banks will collapse,” he was quoted as saying by weekly newspaper Realnews.
The European Union and the International Monetary Fund, which have spent about 38 billion euros ($50.67 billion) between them to rescue Greek banks, are pressuring Athens to take measures to clean up lenders’ balance sheets.
But several lawmakers from the country’s two-party ruling coalition oppose foreclosures, fearing a backlash from home-owners amid record joblessness and plunging wages.
“People will take their shotguns… a collapsing property market is better than a civil war,” said lawmaker Sophia Voultepsi, from the conservative New Democracy party of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, earlier this month. (full story in English Reuters)

so far several lawmakers of the two-party coalition government, that has a thin parliamentary majority – have publicly opposed the lifting of foreclosures ban. Question is whether they’ll keep this position when it comes to voting in the Parliament or when the lift will occur through a ministerial degree. Will they resign and force early elections or will they plead to ‘save the country’ – as usual ? -

Merkel and Schaeuble rule out additional haircut on Greek debt There will be no further haircut on Greek sovereign debt, German Chancellor Angela Merkel repeated on Saturday. “I see no haircut for Greece,” Merkel told German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “I am amazed again and again by the carelessness with which this is being talked about,” she said. “Such a move could spark uncertainty in other parts of Europe,” Merkel warned. Meanwhile, in an interview with Badische Neueste Nachrichten, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble also ruled out the prospect of an additional Greek haircut, acknowledging that the recession-hit country had beaten most economic predictions. German opposition parties have piled pressure on Merkel ahead of a national election on September 22, after the country’s central bank last week claimed that Greece would probably need more bailout funding by 2014. ekathimerini.com , Saturday August 17, 2013 (18:07)  PM, ministers back in the fray after short break Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his ministers were expected back in Athens on Monday, following short summer breaks, and were expected to return immediately to the implementation of economic reforms ahead of the scheduled visit to Athens next month by troika inspectors as political tensions grow over the likely imposition of additional austerity. A key priority for the government is to finalize a list of 12,500 civil servants who must enter a labor reserve scheme, where they receive a reduced salary for eight months before being transferred to another position or dismissed, by the end of September. Troika officials have pushed hard for this pledge to be honored, and are expecting an additional 12,500 public sector workers to be inducted into the scheme by the end of the year, so Samaras is likely to push all his cabinet officials to supply lists of names from their ministries by the end of the week. His first meetings are expected to be with Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras, Administrative Reform Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos, who is also Samaras’s deputy and leader of PASOK, the second party in the coalition government. An issue expected to feature high on the agenda of talks between Samaras and Venizelos is the government’s plans to lift a moratorium on home repossessions. Several MPs in both PASOK and conservative New Democracy have expressed opposition to such a measure and, according to sources, many in PASOK object to the issue being raised by government ministers as the troika did not mention the matter in their last report. Aides close to Samaras, however, suggest that the government should start preparing public opinion for the possibility of home repossessions from the beginning of next year, after the moratorium ends. Many counter that such a measure would be an excessive burden on austerity-weary Greeks and there are rumors of a cross-party initiative for an amendment to be tabled in Parliament that would extend the moratorium on repossessions. Government officials are expected to seek to overcome objections within the coalition by introducing exemptions – chiefly for the unemployed and families with four children or more. ekathimerini.com , Saturday August 17, 2013 (16:36)