Proto Thema’s exclusive reportage on the government’s $US500-mln plan to upgrade five of the six P-3B Orian naval aircraft, signed March 15, was sharply criticized on Sunday by centrist Potami leader Stavros Theodorakis.

“200 million euros for dealing with the humanitarian crisis but $500 million for arms,” was his characteristic statement.

His comments came after Proto Thema’s report of a down payment of $45 million dollars to US defence contractor Lockheed Martin.

Theodorakis was also critical of what he called a lack of transparency involved in the deal.

“It is the largest weapons program over the last years, at a time when the economic crisis is at its worst and state funds are literally empty,” he said, recalling the outrage that Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) Maritime Minister Thodoris Dritsas showed when SYRIZA was in opposition, and when referring to defence-related expenditures for the 2015 Budget.

Theodorakis also pointed to the previous conservative New Democracy (ND) and socialist (PASOK) coalition, which had been moving in the same direction but had not forked out a down payment, as the current coalition government between SYRIZA and the rightist ANEL party proceed to do.