The Odyseey of a List with 1,991 Tax Dodgers: From Lagarde to Greece with Love

I would like to kindly ask KTG-readers to search among all the items laying on their office desk – drawers included. Greek government is seeking at least one USB stick containing the names of almost 2,000 Greeks with large deposits in HSBC, Geneva, Switzerland. The case is taking a tragicomic turn, as:

1. Last week ex FinMin Papaconstantinou (Oct 2009-June 2011) stated he had handed out the CD he had obtained from Christine Lagarde in 2010 to Financial Crimes Unit (SDOE).

2. Last week former and current heads of SDOE stated they had not idea about such a CD.

3. The data was ‘officially’ missing.

4. Today, Tuesday, government partner Evangelos Venizelos handed over to Samaras the list with the names in a usb stick.

Venizelos (FinMin Jun 2011-2012) said he had been given the much wanted data by former SODE-head Diotis, while he was finance minister, but that he didn’t act on it because it was not legally obtained.

 4. Samaras’ office recieved the envelop today and without prior opening it, it handed over to SDOE head Stasinopoulos

5. Stanisonpoulos handed it over to economic prosecutor Peponis who now investigates the case.

6. Greek media  raise doubts whether the list is complete. Some MPs ask that Papaconstantinou testifies to economic prosecutor and why he selectively asked some 20 names to be checked but not all.

7. Yesterday, a Nea-Dimocratia MP sent a letter to Lagarde asking the full list of the illegally obtained CD.

 The HSBC-data containing the names of 24,000 tax dodgers form several EU countries was stolen in 2008 by ex bank employee Herves Falciani, who was fired by the bank and got arrested.

The conclusion of the whole case? Ex French Minister and current IMF chief Lagarde handed to Papaconstantinou a  CD containing illegaly obtained data

For more detailed reporting read:  the Odyssey of a list here , list in France/Switzerland here .

PS The number of Greek tax dodgers is 1,991. If your usb stick contains 2,000 names, it must be the list containing names of tax dodgers of another country…