Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis has reportedly recorded a phone conversation with the governor of Bank of Greece, Yannis Stournaras, and leaked the content to a SYRIZA-friendly media outlet, Greek media report on Tuesday.
In the focus of the conversation were the two “consumer loans” totaling €100,000 Polakis took from the Attica Bank and the urgent inquiry Stournaras launched on the issue.
According to Greek media, Polakis demanded that Stournaras also probes loans issued to certain opposition parties, politicians and media. “Otherwise I will come down there and will not leave if you do not order an inquiry,” Polakis is seen telling Stournaras in the transcripts of the recording.
Stournaras called for a urgent meeting with the management of Attica Bank on Monday in order to inquire into two loans totaling 100,000 euros that were granted to Minister Polakis. the alternate health minister had reportedly secured them against a property that already has a 300,000-euro mortgage.
Polakis phone call came just a few hours later, after the inquiry result was that Attica Bank had not violated banking rules by granting Polakis the loans. “It is not customary for consumer loans secured against an indebted asset to surpass half that amount,” sources told media.
The case of Polakis loans was revealed by a Sunday newspaper close to main opposition party, New Democracy and triggered an outrage as it is not easy for “common Greeks” to receive a loan from a bank. It has been alleged that the minister took the loan beginning of 2019.
