The EU Commission wants the immediate termination of judicial action against three former experts assigned to Greece’s privatization fund (HRADF), who were dispatched to the country as part of efforts to implement memorandum provisions, threatening to block the release a 7.7-billion-euro loan tranche.
By N. Bellos
[email protected]
The EU Commission wants the immediate termination of judicial action against three former experts assigned to Greece’s privatization fund (HRADF), who were dispatched to the country as part of efforts to implement memorandum provisions, threatening to block the release a 7.7-billion-euro loan tranche.
The money, part of an overall 8.5-billion-euro package, was freed up by the Eurogroup earlier this month after creditors and Athens finally concluded a second review of the Greek program (third bailout).
In answer to a relevant press question, EU Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis confirmed that the issue remains unresolved, as far as the Commission is concerned. He appeared confident that the Greek side will resolve the matter in the “next few days”.
Spain’s representative at the June 15 had reminded and warned the Greek side that if the judicial procedure against the three technocrats wasn’t terminated, then Madrid would block the bailout tranche.
The trio of experts – from Spain, Slovakia and Italy - was included among several executives that a local prosecutor claimed knowingly allowed the sale of state assets at unfavorable rates.
The issue, in fact, will be on the agenda of Thursday’s EWG meeting, which is convened to prepare for the upcoming July 10 Eurogroup meeting.
Hours after the Dombrovskis statement, a Supreme Court deputy prosecutor reversed the previous ruling by an appellate council indicting the three foreign experts, along with six local experts that served on HRADF's experts' council at the time.