Paper charges that ‘alternate minister’ shipped 80K abroad in March!

The leftist Greek government on Monday continued to face a “Whac-a-Mole”-like array of political “hiccups”, with the latest emerging from newspaper report out of Thessaloniki accusing an alternate minister of exporting 80,000 euros last March.

The report, in the newspaper “Thessaloniki”, points to an unnamed Cabinet member as making a one-time 80,000-euro transfer to a Luxembourg bank via Eurobank.

The article, a one-column front-page story, generated a heated reaction by ruling SYRIZA, which demanded that the paper name the alternate minister or run a retraction.

In his inaugural press briefing, the government spokesman on Monday merely noted that he’s aware of the report but cannot comment.

Nevertheless, the report made its way to the Parliament floor, with PASOK MP and former minister Vassilis Kegeroglou claiming that the minister’s name – unknown if he was referring to the first name or surname – “is with one ‘m’, not one ‘n’.”

“If its (press report) is true, explanations must be given, otherwise the paper should be denounced,” he added.

On the other side of the aisle, Alternate Finance Minister Nadia Valavani said she has difficulty believing the report’s veracity. 

“I wasn’t aware of the report. Of course, an immediate answer is necessary; I cannot image that it relates to reality,” she said.
A little later the government replied via its preferred “non paper” method, calling on the northern Greece newspaper to name the alternate minister, otherwise, “this is nothing but a practice that surpasses the boundaries of a vile provocation.”

The same sources said they expect the newspaper “Thessaloniki” to print the name, amount and details of the bank account in question in its Tuesday edition.