Eye-popping Greek corruption: and the collusion between Athens officials and EU interests.

• Author: Zoakos, Criton M.

As overburdened German taxpayers become indignant over having to pay for the consequences of corruption in Greece, it behooves them to know that German prosecutors are investigating at least two German companies--Siemens and Ferrostaal (a subsidiary of MAN AG)--for promoting that Greek corruption.

In Greece itself, a parliamentary commission of inquiry (the Siemens Commission) is going through the motions of investigating which Greek politicians have been bribed by Siemens. It is an exercise in futility because existing Greek law (N. 2509/1997 as revised in 2001) makes it practically impossible to prosecute ministers and even members of parliament for crimes committed while in office.

This peculiar law, which has drawn the ire of the European Court of Human Rights, of Transparency International, and others, was promulgated in 1997 by the Socialist Party (PASOK). It was adopted after a prior conservative government had prosecuted for corruption four Socialist ministers and a Socialist prime minister (Andreas Papandreou) over the 1989-92 period.

Those found guilty during these prosecutions were promptly given parliamentary pardon as soon as the Socialists regained majority in 1993. Taking no chances, the Socialists proceeded to pass the law that virtually immunizes corruption and which remains in force to date.

Corruption in Greece became endemic after 1981, the year when Greece joined the European Community (later European Union) and elected its first-ever Socialist government. Between then and now, scores of major corruption scandals (some count over 150) broke out in the Greek press. Only a tiny handful, however, perhaps numbering no more than five, were tried in the courts. Of these, three were terminated by parliamentary vote, one resulted in a not guilty verdict, and the fifth in a guilty verdict that triggered an almost instantaneous parliamentary pardon.

Most corruption scandals throughout this era involved collusion between Greek officials and European Union interests. The most notorious of these are of course the Siemens and Ferrostaal scandals that have attracted the interest of German law, and both involve bribery of Greek officials for the purpose of securing contracts by German companies with the Greek government.

The Siemens case entails a large number of briberies going back twenty-four years. In the Ferrostaal case, the briberies helped lubricate the sale of defective submarines to the Greek Navy.

Politically, the most...