Socialist deputy and former Transport Minister Anastasios Mantelis, admitted on Wednesday his involvement in the Siemens case after being pointed out by a relative of his.
Questioned by MP Thanasi Plafili (of the Communist Party), the businessman Mr. Tzougranis admitted that, Mandelis had confided to him that, the 200,000 marks he put into a bank account in Switzerland, in November 1998, were a ‘sponsorship’ from Siemens.
Tasos Mandelis, had also, submitted to the interrogative commission, when Mr Tzougranis admitted the ‘sponsorship’ only when the examination was coming to an end.
Mandelis said, that he took the money as a sponsorship for the elections.
According to the evidence, Mr. Mandelis as Minister of Transport, signed on behalf of the State, an agreement with Siemens for digital telephone centers in 1997. It was then that he asked his friend and best man, G. Tzougranis to open an account abroad in order to take anonymous political donations from friends abroad.
The name of the operator has identified the account password “Roccos”. According to the file, the initial deposit came from Elias George, a former highly positioned employee of Siemens and manager of the “black funds” to 02/11/1998.
The account was opened in «Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce» Geneva and made two inputs, one in 1998-200,000 marks, and one in 2000 for 250,000 marks.
However, Tzougaranis said that when the scandal came out in 2007, he him self, closed down the account and wired the rest 163,800 euros to a Greek bank and returned it to Mandelis.
There were two withdrawals, 11.135 in 2001 and 15.628 euros in 2002, taken by son of the former minister. And an additional amount of 35,000 euros, in order to, pay tuition fees at the Columbia University, USA.
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