Press Review March 18: Deal or near deal

The government and the troika get close to a deal; a Swiss-Greek banker tied to the arms procurement bribes disappears; a strong euro threatens a Greek recovery; Giagia Sabria becomes possibly the world’s oldest refugee at 107; and a war of words between two football club chairmen goes beyond sports.

The Press Project
18 Μαρτίου 2014 | 07:43:53

	KATHIMERINI Close to an agreement with the troika Negotiations until the early morning hours – the required reforms are to be passed in a multiple draft law with one article The government and the troika were very close to reaching an agreement in the early morning hours. Indeed, officials from the economic committee did not rule out the possibility of negotiations being concluded during the course of the night. Shortly after midnight, an open issue remained the height of the primary budget surplus and how it will be disbursed. Government officials believed that if a compromise was reached on that issue then the others would soon follow (labour regulations, public sector layoffs, mobility schemes, OECD market reforms). There was convergence over the law for the recapitalisation of banks and specifically Eurobank, where the increase in capital will be covered by private investors with the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund participating only in the event that private capital proves insufficient. In any case the representatives of the troika will depart Athens today. If an agreement has been reached they will submit their evaluation report on the Greek program within 10 days and approval of the next tranche of loans will be given at the Eurogroup meeting of the 1st of April. If there are still issues outstanding, long-distance negotiations will continue again with the target of the Eurogroup meeting in Athens. The release of the tranche will be linked to the agreed upon conditions which will be introduced in a multiple draft law which will have only one article.
	KONTRA NEWS Banker who laundered dirty money of politicians and businessmen disappears The disappearance of the Swiss banker Fanis Liginos is blocking investigations into the arms procurement bribes as well as the money laundering which he had been ‘contracted’ to conduct on behalf of top Greek businessmen and politicians. The Swiss of Greek descent banker had established over the course of decades a limitless washing machine for the movement of dirty money in our country. The money laundering scheme included the use of accounts in a network of offshore companies and transfer payments worth millions of euros without these passing through the banking system. For the needs of the…business, Fanis Liginos and his coworkers kept three luxury suites on a permanent basis in central Athens hotels where they negotiated with well-known business figures who were interested in legalising black money which, in the majority of cases, came from bribes from public procurement programs, major public works contracts and arms buying programs.
	NAFTEMPORIKI The strong euro threatens the Greek recovery Concern over the consequences on exports and tourism The strong euro is a threat to the extraversion of the Greek economy, a development which is causing concern in the export and tourism sectors. The Finance Ministry fears that if the euro maintains it strength for an extended period of time it will threaten efforts to end the recession. In the last three-year period an increase in exports has slowed the shrinking of the economy at a time when investments and consumption are dropping, but now the contribution of the export sector is under threat from the common currency with exports of goods showing a reduction since October, with over half destined for non-Eurozone countries. The common currency renders Greek products more expensive than those of competitors outside the Eurozone, while it will also have a negative impact on tourism. It is reminded that the euro has strengthened approximately 16.5% from its low in 2012.
	TA NEA Giagia [Grandmother] Sabria, a refugee at 107 years old At 107 years old, Sabria Halaf recounts her odyssey from the Turkish beach on the Aegean to Pyla in Cyprus and from there to Dusseldorf in Germany to be reunited with her family.
	EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON The knives are out An unprecedented clash between the two team chairmen goes beyond football The battle between Vangelis Marinakis [Olympiakos F.C.] and Ivan Savidis [PAOK F.C.] went beyond football yesterday. The announcement by PAOK which alleged a system that controlled Greek football provoked the wrath of Olympiakos. The team from Piraeus issued a harsh statement which referred to shady business dealings of the owner of PAOK in Greece which used his football team as a ‘vehicle’. Ivan Savidis: The system has deep roots. One man controls it and he is called Marinakis. We are sickened by whoever joins it and sustains it. Vangelis Marinakis: Savidis should stop behaving like an emperor, issuing extortionate ultimatums to the government.