Proto Thema’s latest investigative article on the controversial decision to directly award a US$500-million contract for the upgrade of five maritime surveillance planes revealed that the current defense ministry general secretary, Yiannis Tafylis, was previously involved in offsets program run by Lockheed-Martin, the contractor for the upgrade.

The decision to proceed with the upgrade of the P-3B planes, in storage since 2009, generated heightened criticism by both the opposition and within ruling SYRIZA party itself.
The first reaction from Sunday’s revelation concerning Tafylis came from main opposition New Democracy party, with referred to a “huge moral issue, and possibly a legal one”, while calling for the firing of the general secretary.

According to the Proto Thema report, Tafylis in the past has served as a sub-contractor for the firm HOMS (Hellenic Operational & Management Systems S.A.) in a Lockheed offsets program for the Hellenic Air Force.
The program was called “Wing Operations Management και Squadron Operations Management” and is the subject of a judicial probe following a letter by former defense under-secretary Yiannis Lambropoulos, dated Sept. 11, 2014. A further notice for an investigation by the prosecutor’s office was given on Oct. 10, 2014.

Tafylis, before his appointment to the post following SYRIZA’s election victory on Jan. 25, served as the radical leftist party’s defense policy chief, while he was a candidate for Parliament twice.

Today’s “No. 3” at the defense ministry appears to have cooperated with the US defense contractor from 2003 to 2006, during the execution of the offsets program – which first came under scrutiny when charges by former Independent Greeks’ party MP Giorgos Davris questioned its legality. The founder and leader of the AN.EL party today is Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, whose party is the junior coalition member.

Tafylis was project manager for the subcontractor of a project that was only partially completed, one reason why the entire issue reached Parliament. Tafylis’ involvement earned the criticism of PASOK at the time, with charges “relations with defense firms” aired, i.e. Lockheed. At the time, then main opposition leader and current PM Alexis Tsipras expressed his confidence for the ex-military officer, calling him “an excellent officer who honors SYRIZA with his presence and who uncovered the scandal concerning the Mirage 2000s”.

In a letter to Proto Thema, Tafylis denied any wrongdoing.