Fire chief in firing line over ‘forged’ document
The position of Greece?s fire chief, Stelios Stefanidis, appears to be in question after claims he doctored an official document to extend the hire contract for a private firefighting helicopter.
Sources said that the Citizens? Protection Ministry has already carried out an internal probe into the matter and that Minister Christos Papoutsis met individually with several high-ranking fire service officials, including Stefanidis, on Friday.
Kathimerini has learned that Stefanidis last week ordered the official in charge of the forest fire department to prepare an official request to extend the deal to lease a Russian-made Mil Mi-26 firefighting helicopter by 15 days at a cost of 365,000 euros.
Stefanidis allegedly justified the request for the contract extension by claiming that there was a high risk of forest fires on Crete in the ensuing days. He is also alleged to have tampered with the document to hide the objections made by his subordinates. Sources said that four lower-ranking fire service officials refused to sign the request for the contract extension and included their objections in their document so they could be seen by Deputy Citizens? Protection Minister Manolis Othonas. Stefanidis is accused of photocopying the document so his colleagues? opposition to lengthening the deal were obscured before presenting Othonas with the copy.
Before reaching the deputy minister, the paperwork was handed to the ministry?s general secretary, Grigoris Tasoulas, who not only approved it but recommended that the contract be extended for a total of 30 days, at a cost of 730,000 euros. Ministry sources, however, were quick to point out that the company from which the helicopter was being leased had been fined 600,000 euros for certain breaches of its contract terms, so this sum would be subtracted from any further deal.
Othonas signed the document last week but his aides soon noticed that the objectors? signatures and comments had been removed, prompting the launch of the investigation.
