Bank of Greece Governor

The coronavirus threat (the first case in Greece was identified today in Thessaloniki) poses a huge challenge to the National Health System and to what is ostensibly the government’s strong suit – the recovery of the Greek economy.

“Now that we have an improvement in the terms of borrowing for the Greek state, one should expect an improvement of the terms of borrowing for Greek banks.  We may now have fewer banks, but they are stronger and the future belongs to them,” Stournaras declared.

Tsipras announced the package fewer than three weeks before local elections and European Parliament elections, which he has described as a vote of confidence in the government.

In his famed speeches before the IMF and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, he addressed a stunned audience in English but using only words derived from the Greek language.

Polakis threatened the country’s central banker that he would stage a sit-in in his office if he did not order a probe of other loans take out by other politicians and political parties.

A detailed transcript of the conversation was published by the pro-government newspaper and website Documento, but Polakis later denied that he had recorded it.

Major international media reported on Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis’ behaviour towards Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras.

Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis, who loses no opportunity to target his opponents and their families, and who is continuing a legal battle against a deceased journalist, now is playing the slighted and targeted victim.

Polakis placed the call in order to discuss reports that the Bank of Greece was to probe a 100,000-euro loan that was issued to him by the Attica Bank.

In the recorded conversation, Polakis demands that Stournaras also probe the loans of political parties and of other politicians.

Something inconceivable is happening: The finance minister is on a road show in Hong Kong to lure investment, and the prime minister brushes off the central banker, and indeed unleashes targeted attacks against him.