ANA-MPA– Political figures may well be behind the dummy companies and money routes revealed by the “Lagarde list,” whistleblower Herve Falciani said in an interview with the Greek newspaper ‘Vima‘ published on Sunday.
“I am certain that all the mechanisms that were followed by the list’s system will show that behind the companies and front men and all the circles of money are hidden political figures,” he was quoted as saying, adding that the new government presented a “unique opportunity” to deal with the major problem of corruption.
The former HSBC employee had testified to four Greek prosecutors in Paris on Friday, as part of their investigation into Greek bank account holders revealed in data stolen by Falciani in 2008, regarding 130,000 of the bank’s customers.
The list, which in Greece is referred to as the “Lagarde List,” was passed on to Greek authorities from the then finance minister and current International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde.
Falciani’s testimony and his interview with ERT on Saturday were also seized upon by SYRIZA, who stressed that the parties that had dominated politics in the last 40 years were unlikely to allow much progress in the investigation.
“If the next government lets the prosecutor work, we will succeed [in uncovering the truth],” the party added.
Speaking to ERT, Falciani had described the prosecutors who interviewed him in Paris as “tense” and thanked them “because what they did was very courageous”.
“And I see the same thoughts, the same effort that I witnessed in the Tsipras government. It was very difficult for the Tsipras government to move on but also for the prosecutor,” he said, noting that they had also discussed ways to uncover new leads. “We agreed that if the next government lets them work, we will do that,” he added.
