A “truce” was more-or-less apparent over the weekend following an unscheduled meeting on Saturday between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Bank of Greece (BoG) Gov. Yannis Stournaras, held at the latter’s office only days after prosecutors raided the home of the central banker.
Although the unprecedented action targeted Stournaras’ wife, Stavroula, part of an ongoing probe into advertising contracts doled out by a health ministry-affiliated agency between 2011 and 2013, the timing of the warrant and raid generated a firestorm of controversy in the country, and opposition criticism that the Tsipras government is trying to pressure Stournaras.
Both men, according to reports and the expected “leaks” circulated by sources after the meeting, agreed that the central bank is an autonomous entity, which answers to the ECB and not the Greek government.
The “spin” by the government side was that Tsipras underlined the significance his government assigns to the central bank and the independent role of its governor. The same sources said the Greek premier also said the independent judiciary was free from interference to perform its duties.
In exiting the prime minister’s office and in front of television cameras, Stournaras merely reiterated that he does not consider the action as part of a government effort to force him out.
Stournaras also sternly defended his wife and dismissed any notion that she is involved in any questionable actions.
Moreover, he said a SSM and BoG report on non-systemic Attica Bank will be conveyed to a relevant prosecutor.