The Minister of National Defence Mr. Panos Panagiotopoulos received today in his office the General Secretary of Transparency and Human Rights Mr. Georgios Sourlas. The discussion was focalised on the complaints made by Mr. Sourlas concerning the distribution of adulterated fuel in the Armed Forces, as well as on the investigation carried out for this matter.
After their meeting, Mr. Panagiotopoulos and Mr. Sourlas made the following statements:
P. PANAGIOTOPOULOS: We had an essential and fruitful discussion with the General Secretary of Transparency and Human Rights Mr. Georgios Sourlas concerning the complaints concerning adulterated fuel distribution in the Armed Forces, as well as the standard procedure for their procurement. Mr. Sourlas was briefed on the initiative taken by us, as Ministry of National Defence, so as to further investigate these accusations. In this framework, already since October 12 2012, we have asked the apposite Prosecutor of the Athens Court-martial to make an urgent investigation for the potential adulteration of fuel in the Armed Forces, in all possible directions, utilising all reports made until now and all data available, among which the complaints made by Mr. Georgios Sourlas.
Moreover, I took the initiative to form a cross-party committee for the conduct of a public international open bidding tender for fuel procurement in all Armed Forces’ branches via Procurements of a high technological and financial value, ensuring full transparency and legitimacy as far as fuel procurement is concerned.
G. SOURLAS: I would like to thank the Minister of National Defence Mr. Panos Panagiotopoulos for his determination to put an end to fuel adulteration in the Armed Forces. Even eight years after the first evidence on fuel adulteration was uncovered and several interventions made to the pertinent personnel of the Ministry of National defence and the Ministry of Public Order, as well as to the Regular and Military Justice, the time has come to put an end to an issue of national magnitude with financial implications. More than merely putting an end to this corruption affair, the perpetrators should be found, bear the consequences of their actions and restore the billions they have exploited, money that could have been enough to cover the amounts of wages’ and pensions’ cuts, given that the losses for National Economy from adulterated fuel and their illegal distribution exceed three billion per year.
I would also like to express my satisfaction for the Minister’s of Defence determination to also proceed to the rectification of legitimacy in the procedure of fuel procurement which was, until recently, done without bidding tenders, as well as in the organisation of distribution control systems and a comprehensive management system for fuel quality. Finally, next Monday I will submit full data on this case to the Military Justice Prosecutor.
