Greece to revise arms contracts amid bribe scandal
Iran Press TV
Sat Jan 4, 2014 6:24PM GMT
The Greek Defense Ministry has pledged to review the country's arms purchase contracts in an effort to make them more transparent, after a corruption scandal that saw the arrest of former defense officials.
On Friday, Greece Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos said Athens is trying to work out plans to place the recession-hit country's arms contracts under increased parliamentary oversight to "guarantee the reputation of the armed forces."
Avramopoulos further said the Defense Ministry's proposals would be submitted to the parliament "in the immediate future."
The minister's comments come as Greek prosecutors are probing the alleged payment of bribes worth millions of euros to former senior defense officials in an attempt to secure weapons deals under Socialist governments in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Heavy arms spending was among other reasons that led Athens to rely heavily on international bailouts and rescue packages worth 246 billion euros (USD 338 billion) since May 2010. The country is implementing harsh austerity measures to qualify for the next bailout installment.
Greece has been at the epicenter of the eurozone debt crisis and is experiencing its seventh year of recession, while harsh austerity measures have left tens of thousands of people without jobs.
The country's unemployment is currently above 27 percent, banks are in a shaky position, and pensions and salaries have been slashed.
MKA/SS
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