Greek financial crime prosecutors handling the Siemens bribery scandal have completed their 2,368-page long proposal on the case, recommending that 64 involved individuals face criminal charges of active and passive bribery along with money laundering, as well as illicit payments for contracts signed between the German colossal company and the Greek state-owned telecommunications company, OTE, while the final decision regarding the charges will be made by the Appeals Court Council. Nineteen of those charged are Siemens executive officials, 14 are OTE executive officials and eight are employees of the consultancy company that got involved in the so-called “8002” contract signed in the late 1990s, aiming to modernize Greece’s national telecommunications network. The remaining 23 are involved in companies that handled money from Siemens’ “black funds.” Among those accused of involvement are 17 German nationals and the prosecutors had to fully examine hundreds of bank accounts in order to trace the illicit payments’ path. Apart from the “8002” contract, bribes were also allegedly paid by Siemens to ensure the contract for the C4I security system installed before the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. In total, the damage caused to the Greek state by the “8002” contract is estimated to reach some 62 million euros, while the first investigation regarding the case was first launched in 2006 by the current chief financial crime prosecutor Panagiotis Athanasiou, while the case’s examination was completed by deputy financial crime prosecutor Galinos Bris. The “8002” contract was summed to 700 million euros and part of it was used to bribe Greek officials and influence the deal between OTE and Siemens.
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