Editorial: Shadows

The term of the current government is reaching its political end even before the general election.

Consequently, questions are raised by the fact that the government is using its remaining political capital to pass legislation that revives the notorious offsets of arms deals, which had been abolished by law under the previous government.

The answer is not difficult to find. It is well known that those who decry corruption with stentorian voices are usually the ones who are the first to dip their hands in the till.

Such voices of righteous indignation are a smokescreen that attempts to cover procedures and practices that lack transparency.

The Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport concession is a prime example.

Were it not for the intervention of the European Commission, the government would have cut a deal that deprived the public sector of an additional 600mn euros. Now, it is delaying the tabling of the agreement in parliament so as to avoid parliamentary review and the need to explain the low price that it had accepted. It does this despite the fact that it knows that each day of delay costs the state thousands of euros.

The SYRIZA-Independent Greeks government had raised the clean hands banner in order to use it against its political opponents, as it turns out.

The time has come for it to offer an accounting of its own work and days, which are full of shadows as is increasingly apparent.