Case file of Saudi arms deal affair sent to Parliament

A Supreme Court prosecutor on Tuesday sent Parliament the case file of the alleged scandal involving the attempted sale of 300,000 anti-tank shells to Saudi Arabia.

The court probe had been ordered after opposition parties claimed that Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, who is also the leader of the junior coalition partner, Independent Greeks (ANEL), tried to involve a middleman in a deal that the Saudis wanted to negotiate directly with Athens.

According to reports, the case file sent to Parliament includes testimony by one witness. Despite being summoned to appear before a prosecutor, the middleman, Vasilis Papadopoulos, did not show up.

In December, the coalition government blocked a request from New Democracy MPs for Kammenos and Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias to appear before Parliament’s Institutions and Transparency Committee to respond to questions about the affair.