Exposed: Why is Nadia Valavani angry with journalists? (video)

Former finance minister Nadia Valavani is furious with Proto Thema, so much so that for the first time in her life she is considering taking legal action for defamation. After a five-page dedication to her mother’s withdrawal of 200,000 euros two days before capital controls were imposed, Valavani is continuing to try to set the record straight for three days in a row believing that her name has been smeared and angry that some of the “mud-raking” may stick.

– Did Nadia Valavani’s mother withdraw 200K or 100K?
The former minister claims that her mother withdrew 100K that she had in a Cretan bank following a sale of a hotel she owned. She said that since the story broke out, she has seen the transaction records and states that (a) the amount is not that claimed by the newspaper, (b) the date iof the withdrawal was not the one claimed by the newspaper.

– When was the withdrawal made?
The former finance minister states that the withdrawal of the money took place on June 18 when there was still no thought of imposing capital controls in the government’s plans. Proto Thema reports that according to anonymous sources, the withdrawal took place two days before the imposition of capital controls three weeks ago.

– Did she know about the withdrawal?
Valavani says she doesn’t speak to her mother on a daily basis due to the demands of her work as well as the fact that they live in different cities. She is calling for telephone records showing details of her and her mother’s interactions to come to light. She states that neither she nor her sister are involved in her mother’s financial dealings though – like most offspring in Greece – they are her sole beneficiaries. She states that her mother did mention her name during the transaction but only in passing, and she had not been contacted at all about the withdrawal.

– Why did her mother withdraw such a large amount of money?
The minister’s mother did not intend to transfer the money out of the country. Valavani pointed out that like most Greek citizens her mother watched news reports and felt fear for her deposits. The minister’s own deposits are trapped in the banks like everybody else’s.

– Why did Valavani resign?
She says that she handed in her resignation on Monday, July 13, due to her objection to the third round of bailout measures and not because her mother withdrew a large sum of money.

– When was the last time Nadia Valavani spoke to her mother?
The photo that Proto Thema posted was an old one from prior to her husband’s death. Since her husband died on November 2, 2014, Nadia Valavani has mourned the loss by wearing black clothes. She objects to the photo showing her at a feast with her mother and another photo where her husband has been edited out of.

– Who is Nadia Valavani?
Born on the island of Crete on August 16, 1954, Valavani is a writer and economist with a degree in economics from the University of Athens. She worked as a translater and also managed her family hotel on the isle of Crete for ten years. At the age of 18, she was involved in efforts against the Greek dictatorship. Arrested in February 1974, she served a sentence at Korydallos prison until July 1974. She has participated in workers struggles and has fought for workers rights, and her life’s work has been focused in lifting laws that the third bailout aims to impose. She is an active member of Amnesty International and IBS. She lives in Athens and has a son and daughter.