Prosecutor calls for 22 of 54 defendants in Siemens trial not to face bribery charges

The prosecutor in the trial of suspects implicated in the Siemens cash-for-contracts scandal has called for 22 out of 54 defendants to be cleared of bribery charges and to only face charges of money laundering, citing the provisions of the country's new penal code.

The prosecutor, Eleni Skeparnia, noted that the new code changes the charge of active bribery to a misdemeanor.

She also proposed that Theodoros Tsoukatos, a one-time aide to former socialist premier Costas Simitis, be acquitted.

Tsoukatos has admitted to collecting 1 million German marks on behalf of PASOK, money that he described as a campaign donation.

Skeparnia called for 22 of the defendants, including former Siemens Hellas CEO Michalis Christoforakos, to be found guilty of money laundering.