As was the case last year, the five parliamentary parties each issued their own concluding reports last week in the Vatopedi land-swap inquiry, which is now likely to be succeeded by a preliminary judicial investigation that will also be carried out by MPs.
This was the second parliamentary investigation into the allegations that a real estate exchange between the state and the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos had been heavily weighted in the monks’ favour and cost taxpayers millions of euros.
MPs could not agree on a common conclusion the first time and were split along party lines the second time as well, disagreeing about which former ministers should be investigated further.
PASOK concluded that at least six members of the previous government, Theodoros Roussopoulos, Petros Doukas, Evangelos Bassiakos, Alexandros Kontos, Giorgos Voulgarakis and Giorgos Kiltidis, should face further investigation.
New Democracy argued that none of its officials did anything wrong and were simply tidying up the mess left by the previous government.
It has been alleged that aides of former Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, including Roussopoulos, pushed through the property swap even though it appeared to be of much greater benefit to the monastery.
The reports were delivered to Parliament Speaker Filippos Petsalnikos, who will in due course, put them up for discussion in the Greek Parliament.
