Hardouvelis sent money abroad while FinMin because he feared "collapse"

Former conservative New Democracy (ND) finance minister Gikas Hardouvelis told private STAR on Monday that he was afraid of the situation in Greece in 2012 and took his money out of the country. This statement was made after the spotlight was cast on his foreign accounts over the weekend following an interview by State Minister for Fighting Corruption, Panagiotis Nikoloudis, with Real News newspaper. The article stated that "while Hardouvelis was e-mailing the troika of Greece's creditors to agree with new antipopular memorandum reforms, he was at the time tax evading and sending funds abroad."

During the interview with STAR that essentially admitted that this had indeed been the case, Hardouvelis complained of the way in which his activities abroad were handled by the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government. He had not been officially informed that his accounts were being investigated and was informed of the matter from the press. In Real News, Nikoloudis said that the government had asked for Hardouvelis assets to be investigated.