Former prime minister Costas Karamanlis conveyed a written memorandum on Tuesday afternoon to a preliminary Parliamentary committee of inquiry convened to investigate the Vatopedi land swap furor, along with possible legal liabilities by ministers of the former government.
According to Karamanlis, his New Democracy government in 2004 inherited a “finalised” ownership status of Vistonida lake in extreme northeast Greece. It was legally “bound” by ministerial decisions of the preceding PASOK government.
Karamanlis stated: “… due to the social problem that had been created for the residents of the neighbouring (Vistonida) regions and their demand that their problem be dealt with, as well as due to a lack of necessary resources for possible expropriations, ND’s ministers, each within the framework of his duties, adopted the absolutely legal process of (land) exchanges.”
The former prime minister also assessed that “nothing reproachable resulted” from the two fact finding committees created to probe the same case. “Not even a shadow of suspicion of criminal responsibilities for political persons and this despite the evident animosity and prejudice that was shown by various sides.”
He further noted that “four (property) assessment reports carried out, two by the (Greek) Sworn Evaluators Corps and two by foreign independent firms did not detect anything reprehensible, reproachable; neither a loss for the state. And it is at best strange, that the existence of these reports was silently ignored in the second fact-finding committee, as well as the fact that only now are additional assessments being requested.”
(source: ana-mpa)
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