These two women are rapidly becoming symbols of a justice system that is seeking to reassert itself and (finally) do its duty, perhaps not righting the wrongs of the past but at least holding those responsible for the ransacking of the state’s coffers accountable – irrespective of their political connections and bank balances. In a country with a deep – and not unwarranted – mistrust of the political and financial elites, long seen as the ‘untouchables’, Ms Raikou and Ms Papandreou are being hailed by some as the ‘incorruptibles’.
As is noted in a profile of the two anti-corruption prosecutors by Greek daily Eleftherotypia (link in Greek), it is a testament to their effectiveness that they managed to discreetly conduct an in-depth investigation into the millions in unsecured crony loans apparently doled out by the savings bank, despite the case involving prominent political and business figures. It was Raikou and Papandreou that set about tracing the trail of funds through offshore companies and bank accounts, amassing significant evidence of wrongdoing.
Despite the complexity of the case, the prosecutors have made impressive strides in mere months since the dedicated Anti-corruption Prosecutor’s office was initially established in April 2013 with Ms Raikou as its head.
Who is Eleni Raikou?
Ms Raikou was the obvious choice for the position of Chief Prosecutor for Corruption when the position was created last year, thanks to her record featuring a string of high-profile prosecutions. Few are the corruption scandals that have gripped Greece in the past decade and more that aren’t associated with her name. Even before her involvement in the latest financial scandal to rock Greece, Ms Raikou had already left her mark.
Ms Raikou, 52, first became a public prosecutor in 1993. By 2010 she had risen to the top of her profession becoming the Chief Prosecutor of the Athens Court of First Instance, the first woman to do so in Greek history in a traditionally male-dominated field. A few months into her tenure she created a new department in the Prosecutor’s office focused solely on financial crime and crimes of corruption, again the first such office in Greece. This department proved to be a forerunner to the dedicated offices of Prosecutor for Financial Crimes and Prosecutor for Crimes of Corruption as they exist today.
During her three-year tenure as Chief Prosecutor in the Athens court, Ms Raikou was involved in a number of high-profile cases in Greece including the investigation into defense procurement bribes that saw former defense minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos imprisoned for money laundering, the Proton Bank scandal and the Karouzos scandal.
Popi Papandreou
Among the prosecutors to work under Ms Raikou on these cases was Popi Papandreou who is now working closely with Ms Raikou in the Corruption Prosecutor’s office. The young prosecutor also has a string of high profile prosecutions under her belt having conducted investigations into the now defunct power company Energa-Hellas Power, and into a corruption case involving match-rigging by Greek football clubs.
However she first became known to many Greeks on the 11th of April 2011. Then, in amid a media frenzy, it was Ms Papandreou who placed the Mr Tsochatzopoulos under arrest accompanied by police officers, escorting him from his luxury property overlooking the Acropolis. Unafraid to face down ‘big fish’, when Mr Tsochatzopoulos expressed outrage at the surprise move by the prosecutor, Ms Raikou is reported to have responded sharply saying, “Should I have informed you that I was coming to arrest you?” (link in Greek).
Mr Tsochatzopoulos was later convicted on charges of money laundering in a bribery case that continues to implicate former defense ministers, top military officers and foreign arms companies.
That said, Ms Papandreou, like Ms Raikou, has always sought to steer clear of the limelight. On the internet the only images available of her are a few fuzzy stills and blurred photographs and she never gives interviews. Much of what is known about her comes from comments made by her acquaintances and colleagues.
These paint a picture of a driven, hard-working and talented legal mind, respected by her peers and feared by her opponents. The 37-year-old Raikou graduated from law school in 1999 with top honours, completing a postgraduate degree in criminal law. She became a public prosecutor in 2008 after coming top of her class in the judicial academy by a wide margin. “It was inconceivable to her to come in second,” a fellow class member is reported to have told the Vima newspaper (link in Greek). Aside from her work as a prosecutor she has contributed to four books about the law.
Her record has seen her receive praise from outside of Greece as well as within the country.“When the prosecutor Popi Papandreou wants to send somebody to prison, she is capable of writing 100 pages in one night,” the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote of Ms Papandreou. The newspaper also notes that she, like Ms Raikou, does not hail from a well-connected family but has reached her position through dedication and the quality of her work.
The newspaper also attributes the prosecutors recent success to recent legislation passed that has given them new powers, such as the ability to offer reduced sentences in exchange for information from those facing prosecution.
As Greeks continue to suffer under austerity, the list of people accused of effectively looting public finances continues to grow, provoking outrage but also a quiet hope that at least some semblance of justice may be restored. It may take a while before we know exactly how many millions of euros have been spirited out of the country and stashed in Swiss bank accounts and offshore havens. But at least it appears that there is someone willing to look.
Sources: Eleftherotypia, To Vima, Vice