Former financial prosecutor Spyros Mouzakitis told ‘Proto Thema’ that there was government interference in his work while he was in office. He made these allegations 15 months after his resignation. He said that a measure passed in January 2013 by then Justice Minister Antonis Roupakiotis, establishing the institution of a Prosecutor for Crimes of Corruption, was a message to him and his colleague Grigoris Peponis to suspend the open investigations they were handling on the grounds that they no longer came under their jurisdiction.

This came at a time when several cases were under investigation and there were many summons to testify, including many that were pending for political figures. Mr. Mousakitis pointed out that the cases they handled were then returned to the new financial prosecutors tow months after he and Mr. Peponis resigned and a transitional ordinance was passed.

A list of Greeks with sizeable deposits in a Swiss branch of HSBC on the Lagarde List were being investigated, however Mr. Mouzakitis was obstructed in these investigations and was under constant threat of disciplinary proceedings during his probe.

He further asserted that a draft law that former justice minister Miltiadis Papaioannou attempted to pass tried to abolish their posts because of specific preliminary investigations they had opened and that they were left without material and organizational assistance. The case that caused the most displeasure was that on loans taken out by the political parties since many of these were given by banks without any kind of collateral.