Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) heavyweight Alekos Flambouraris has come under fire for being a 50% shareholder in Diatmisi S.A. – a company that signed a contract with the Peloponnese regional government worth 3.9 mln euros on May 20 while he was minister. The company, founded by Flambouraris, won the public works tender despite the barrage of objections to the controversial deal, bearing in mind that Diatmisi S.A. did not have the required tax bureau clearance from 2002.

Soon after the scandal broke out on Tuesday, Flambouraris declared that “every Greek citizen has the right to own shares in any company he wants”. Speaking to private SKAI TV and on 9.84 radio station, Flambouraris said that when he was talking about the fact that he had relinquished his shareholder’s rights he  had been talking about shares of the National Bank of Greece rather than the company he founded.

Tuesday’s awkwardness, following Proto Thema’s exposition gave way to denials on Wednesday morning. Speaking to Goodmorning Greece on private ANT1 TV, the former MP stated that he bore no relation to the company at the time he was MP (despite the fact that his name appeared on the contract signed as a member of the Board of Directors!)

Flambouraris said: “As soon as I announced that I would be minister, I departed from the Board of Directors and handed in my professional license. I submitted papers to retire,” he said, attributing PT’s reportage at an intent to mudslinging against himself, SYRIZA and the Left. He invited PT to apologize. Furthermore, he said, that the data from the publication refered to a statement in 2012 that concerned his finances from 2011.

Once again, we publish the contract signed May 20, bearing Flambouraris’ signature as a member of the Board of Directors. The Greek Constitution stipulates that a minister’s capacity as a shareholder in a company winning a public contract deprives the latter from vying for a deputy’s seat according to Article 18, paragraph 2 of Law 1558 passed in 1985.