Word: papandreou
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...Parliament's climactic vote last week, former Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou made a rare appearance on the podium. But instead of defending himself against corruption charges stemming from a $210 million bank-embezzlement scandal, he went on the offensive, charging that his accusers were motivated by "mudslinging" and acted out of "political self- interest." The strategy failed to prevent an indictment. By a largely partisan vote of 166 to 121, the legislators ordered Papandreou, 70, to stand trial later this year before a special court on three felony charges -- taking bribes, accepting the proceeds of a crime, and breach...
...some $210 million, and then distributed much of the money to high-ranking members of the Socialist Party (PASOK), including the Prime Minister. The commission said it found enough corroboration of Koskotas' charges, which he first made publicly in exclusive interviews with TIME last March,* to recommend prosecution of Papandreou for bribe taking and receiving stolen money...
Vyron Polydoras, the secretary of the commission investigating the Koskotas charges, told TIME that while the case is not open and shut, "events point to Papandreou." The PASOK members on the commission had a different assessment. They issued a minority report saying the evidence was insufficient and "fabricated." Papandreou denounced the charges as a "settling of personal and political accounts" by the conservative-leftist coalition government that took office in July...
...Papandreou was also accused by a second commission of running an extensive wiretapping operation out of the headquarters of the Greek secret service. According to the report, he routinely snooped on political opponents, journalists, even members of his own Cabinet...
FOOTNOTE: *Denying the accusations, Papandreou has filed a libel suit against TIME in a London court...