Government seeks probe into health sector before 2015
Leftist SYRIZA and right-wing Independent Greeks, who share power in the ruling coalition, on Friday tabled a joint proposal in Parliament for the creation of a committee to investigate alleged cases of corruption and gross mismanagement in the Greek state health sector, a probe heralded by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras last month.
In its proposal, which is expected to go to a vote later this month, the parties called for a probe into “scandals in the health sector between 1997 and 2014,” referring to widespread “waste” and “corruption” and “dealings between politicians and state officials with powerful business interests in the area of procurements and medicine.” The coalition came to power in January 2015 and was re-elected in September of that year.
Commenting on Friday, Socialist MP Andreas Loverdos, a former health minister, said the coalition’s proposal was only acceptable if it includes the past two years that it has been in power.
Other opposition MPs struck a similar tone, with some noting that the timing of the demand for the probe is an attempt by the government to distract the public from dragging bailout negotiations.
