Prosecutor defends questioning Falciani over Lagarde list

The first instance prosecutor’s office in Athens issued a statement on Monday defending the decision to question former HSBC employee Herve Falciani about the Lagarde list. 

Four prosecutors travelled to Paris to interview Falciani on Friday, prompting a reaction from political parties in Athens. The prosecutor’s office, though, rejected any assertion that its actions were politically motivated and insisted that “justice carries out its duty regardless of who is in government.”

The statement added that the probe is still at an early stage and that the prosecutor’s office has not and will not be referring to any specific people under investigation.

Speaking on Mega TV on Monday, Deputy Finance Minister Tryfon Alexiadis said that out of the 2,062 Greeks on the list of depositors at HSBC’s Geneva branch, less than 150 have been investigated so far.

In comments to public broadcaster ERT, Falciani praised the Greek authorities for questioning him and the previous SYRIZA-led government for rekindling the investigation into the list.

“It was very difficult for the Tsipras government and the prosecutors to move forward,” he said.

Seizing upon Falciani’s comments, SYRIZA said that it is determined to pursue the investigation should it win the elections on Sunday.

Independent Greeks leader called on authorities to release details of their investigation into the Lagarde list before the elections.