Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-12-02

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Gov't adamant over efforts to boost public sector transparency

[01] Gov't adamant over efforts to boost public sector transparency

Paleokrassas tendered his resignation as head of the state-run and Athens-quoted power monopoly on Thursday afternoon, after Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis himself re-issued a terse demand by Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas, namely, that he (Paleokrassas) either submit evidence of corruption and collusion at PPC to a relevant prosecutor or resign -- which he did.

"The struggle for imposing transparency in the public sector is unremitting. Ongoing institutional reforms, on the one hand, are necessary for this (struggle) to generate results, while on the other, verified proof is necessary, one that leads to justice system, where it will be judged," a statement by government spokesman and Minister of State Theodoros Roussopoulos stated.

Alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros, who read out Roussopoulos' statement, told reporters during a press briefing that Yiannis Paleokrassas merely made statements that he could not prove when pressed.

Asked if a period of only a few hours was enough to table evidence with the prosecutor's office, Antonaros responded that whoever makes charges is obliged to submit evidence at a moment's notice.

Resignation letter

In his letter, Paleokrassas again pointed to widespread collusion in procedures for tendering and awarding several big-ticket PPC contracts for new equipment, raw materials and plant construction. He also again linked his charges with sharp criticism of former PPC managing director Stergios Nezis, a previous Simitis government appointee who resigned last February after a public feud with Paleokrassas.

In citing his reasons for resigning, Paleokrassas says they are "the same ones that imposed the presence of Nezis at the helm of PPC nearly a year after the assumption of power by (ruling) ND ... and, unfortunately, compromise with a system that cultivated and supported collusion, one which quickly was able to regroup after the (March 2004) election, in defiance of the Greek people's vote for a clean-up," Paleokrassas' letter read.

Paleokrassas, a former New Democracy minister (1990-93), was elected to Parliament on the ruling party's ticket from the Cyclades islands district during the March 2004 general elections. He resigned from Parliament in late March 2004 to assume the PPC post, while taking on the title of chief executive officer after Nezis' resignation.

In his letter to the prime minister, addressed in the informal second person singular, Paleokrassas refers to EU Commission convictions against Greece for Community Law violations in the country's energy sector and power generation sector, while also warning that "six or seven" pending cases are headed for a conviction "unless proper actions are taken".

"For all of these (cases) there is evidence," he said, while ridiculing the prospect of taking evidence to a prosecutor within a span of three hours, as he noted.

In response to charges that PPC's profits and share price slumped during his tenure, Paleokrassas said the state-run utility was slapped with an additional 200 million euros in expenditures from higher oil prices and from purchasing Kyoto Protocol emission rights in the first nine months of the year.

"Rigged contracts at the PPC have caused direct damages of tens of millions of euros that will be paid for over decades, as long as the units imposed by the ânational contractors' exist..." he added.

Temporary PPC chairman

The government also announced on Friday morning that current PPC managing director Dimitris Maniatakis will temporarily serve as the utility's acting chairman until the designation of a new chairman, in accordance with the company's charter.

In a statement, Maniatakis appeared positive on the prospects of PPC's share and the company's course.

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