Assassination of Sokratis Giolias

[Ephilant]

Exactly 2 years ago today, Sokratis Giolias was gunned down outside his house in Athens.
3 assassins shot him 15 times, he died instantly.
Sokratis Giolias was a 37 year old investigative journalist. He was a very popular man in Athens and all over Greece, none in the least because he had worked himself up from very poor background to become one of Greece's leading sports journalist before he pursued a career as an investigative journalist.
He was the chief news editor for the privately owned Thema radio based in Athens, but became best known and most loved for his news blogTroktiko (Rodent). He always denied his involvement with the blog, but it was confirmed by his colleagues after his death. Troktiko was famous for allowing annonymous posting and exposing many, many instances of corruption in political and official circles.
Sokratis had told a few people that he had a really big story on corruption which he was going to publish soon. Given his record as a journalist and his ability to not only report the corruption, but conclusively prove it, this must have spooked a few people. Nobody knows what story he was going to publish, and we will never know. The day after his murder the management of Troktiko was threatened and ordered to shut down the blog or else...
The blog has not been active since. Greek authorities maintain that ballistics show that the guns used in his murder are the same guns that were used previously by the "Sect of Revolutionaries", and extremely violent gang who had threatened many journalist before. The police released tests showing that the same guns had been used in the 2009 assassination of the anti-terror policeman Nektarios Sawas.
The last post on Troktiko read as follows:

Goodnight Greece, the birthplace of democracy has ended up killing the freedom of expression.
Sokratis, we wish you well and hope you're watching over us

[fluffybiscuits]

Exactly 2 years ago today, Sokratis Giolias was gunned down outside his house in Athens.
3 assassins shot him 15 times, he died instantly.
Sokratis Giolias was a 37 year old investigative journalist. He was a very popular man in Athens and all over Greece, none in the least because he had worked himself up from very poor background to become one of Greece's leading sports journalist before he pursued a career as an investigative journalist.
He was the chief news editor for the privately owned Thema radio based in Athens, but became best known and most loved for his news blogTroktiko (Rodent). He always denied his involvement with the blog, but it was confirmed by his colleagues after his death. Troktiko was famous for allowing annonymous posting and exposing many, many instances of corruption in political and official circles.
Sokratis had told a few people that he had a really big story on corruption which he was going to publish soon. Given his record as a journalist and his ability to not only report the corruption, but conclusively prove it, this must have spooked a few people. Nobody knows what story he was going to publish, and we will never know. The day after his murder the management of Troktiko was threatened and ordered to shut down the blog or else...
The blog has not been active since. Greek authorities maintain that ballistics show that the guns used in his murder are the same guns that were used previously by the "Sect of Revolutionaries", and extremely violent gang who had threatened many journalist before. The police released tests showing that the same guns had been used in the 2009 assassination of the anti-terror policeman Nektarios Sawas.
The last post on Troktiko read as follows:

Goodnight Greece, the birthplace of democracy has ended up killing the freedom of expression.
Sokratis, we wish you well and hope you're watching over us

May he RIP . This is very reminiscent of Anna Polatskya in Russia whom covered so much of the abuse of the locals in Dagestan by the Russian army and the Dagestani leaders whom perpetrated a lot of abuse. Then we have our own Veronica GUerin who was gunned down in cold blood. Its tough work as they have to protect their sources and ensure that they themselves are protected from harm. Eliphant did they give an indication as to what the story may have been that was going to be broke?>

[Ephilant]

... Eliphant did they give an indication as to what the story may have been that was going to be broke?>

Absolutely nothing. There are lots of theories and speculation galore, but nobody knows for sure. Whatever the police found when invesigating the shooting was whisked away, never to be seen again. Not that we know of. The staff of Troktiko were threatened with the same faith if they kept going, which would indicate it had something to do with what was, or was going to be said on the blog. Links have been made to the "Siemens list", but nobody really knows. It's just sad that a man in the prime of his life, father of a 2 year old child gets murdered becasue somebody somehwere has the money to hire contract killers to protect their seedy business. The story of todays world. Some people hire killers, others send in complete armies. The only difference is in the numbers.

[fluffybiscuits]

Absolutely nothing. There are lots of theories and speculation galore, but nobody knows for sure. Whatever the police found when invesigating the shooting was whisked away, never to be seen again. Not that we know of. The staff of Troktiko were threatened with the same faith if they kept going, which would indicate it had something to do with what was, or was going to be said on the blog. Links have been made to the "Siemens list", but nobody really knows. It's just sad that a man in the prime of his life, father of a 2 year old child gets murdered becasue somebody somehwere has the money to hire contract killers to protect their seedy business. The story of todays world. Some people hire killers, others send in complete armies. The only difference is in the numbers.

What was the Siemens list? The information he had could have potentially perhaps brought some light on dubious activities. Whatever it was there must be some complicity at higher ranks of former political elite. What is most worrying is the lack of morals that someone would kill a father of a two year old child, we are not dealing with well human beings here.....

[Ephilant]

What was the Siemens list? The information he had could have potentially perhaps brought some light on dubious activities. Whatever it was there must be some complicity at higher ranks of former political elite. What is most worrying is the lack of morals that someone would kill a father of a two year old child, we are not dealing with well human beings here.....

What was the Siemens list? Well, as we all know, Siemens is one of THE pillars of German industrialism, since well before WW2. Between 2003 and 2008 Siemens was embloiled in a series of bribery scams world wide, including the USA, Germany itself, Kuwait, and of course Greece.
Reinhard Siekaczek was the German based executive who was responsible for a 1.3 billion Euro slush fund, used to bribe politicians, industrialists and civil servants world wide. He was charged in Germany with fraud against the company (!), got a slap on the wrist and a fine of 100,000 or so, and has not been heard or seen since.
He ran over 3,700 "consultants" world wide, who got paid for their services from his "fund", services which included handing over the bribe to who ever needed paying off.

The key figure in Greece is a German with Greek name and dual nationality Michalis Christoforakos, former CEO of Siemens Greece.

He is charged with managing a 57 million slush fund used to bribe Greek officials in order to get contracts for Siemens.
Christoforakos disappeared and was arrested in Germany at the end of June, and is fighting extradition because according to his lawyer Stefan Kursawe

Dozens of senior Greek politicians are hanging on this case, I fear for the life of my client as soon as he sets foot on Greek soil.”

A total of 15 PASOK and ND politicians have been rumoured to be recipients of bribes from Siemens. Pasok did at some stage point the finger at 5 PASOK and 7 ND members, while ND only named PASOK recipients of the bribes.

The biggest name in the game so far is Mr U-boat, former PASOK Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos,who is in jail and who is suspected of trousering some 2 billion in backhanders, includig a handy sum from Siemens and "related" companies. He is best known for taking loads of money to buy 4 submarines for the Greek navy, which now turn out to be faulty, and possibly even "refurbished". He is also linked to a string of offshore companies, dodgy property deals and dealings with ex Cypriot Interior Minister Dinos Michailidis who is reputed to have literally taken millions across to Cyprus in suitcases.
Akis Tsochatzopoulos maintained his electoral base in Thessaloniki through bribery as well, by, amongst others, spending over 2.5 million on tickets for the local PAOK football team to be handed out to "supporters". He is also accused of having serious links with the criminal Roma gangs and the famous "Black Sea" Greek gangs.

Greek Parliament is currently debating whether criminal proceedings should be brought against 13 former and serving ministers over this. Amongst the 13 are former PASOK prime minister Costas Simitis, who has the rather unfortunate testimony of his trustee Theodoros Tsoukatos to deal with. Theodoros Tsoukatos declared under oat that it was an established practice” for some companies to make donations to political parties. Tsoukatos was ejected from PASOK in June 2008 along with former Transport Minister Tasos Mantelis after admitting to accepting 1 million then DM from Siemens. Other biggies on the list are Giorgos Alogoskoufis, ex ND minister of Finance and Christos Markoyiannakis, ex ND minister of the Interior. There were no tents involved in this

And to give the whole story a typical Greek flavour, Siemens and the Papademos government settled "out of court" for a sum of 270 million Euro, and the tearing up of some 80 million worth of outstanding bills to Siemens. Strangely enough, within 2 weeks of this agreement, Siemens was awarded 41 million Euro worth of contract for signalling for the Athens metro... Contract paid for by the EU from some or the other (sluch?) fund.

Siemens has also started legal proceedings against Greece in Germany, claiming they should not have to pay any further fines if other "findings" emerge.

Some people think Sokratis had somehow managed to get the full list of people, and amounts received from Siemens, and was silenced. But that is only speculation.

[Sam Lord]

Canada had the Thyssen account:

Schreiber appeared for the fourth time before the Ethics Committee on December 11. He stated that significant funds from West German sources financed the 1983 Winnipeg ouster of Joe Clark as Progressive Conservative leader; Clark had called for a leadership convention, which led five months later to Brian Mulroney winning. Schreiber said he contributed $25,000 himself, and that the late Franz Josef Strauss, Airbus chairman and former Bavarian premier, added a similar amount. Schreiber also raised the possibility that Strauss's political party, the Christian Social Union, may have also given substantial funds.[25] It was already known from 1983 that Walter Wolf, the Austrian-Canadian businessman and entrepreneur, had by his own admission also contributed $25,000 for this project. Mulroney had quickly distanced himself from Wolf following that admission.[26] The money was used to transport and house many pro-Mulroney delegates, who voted against Clark, narrowly denying him sufficient support to continue as leader, despite a large lead over the governing Liberals, led by Pierre Trudeau, in the polls.

A series of successful burglaries in Montreal in 1984, which targeted files on financial contributions to the Mulroney camp, held in the homes and offices of Walter Wolf, W. David Angus, Roger Nantel, Rodrigue Pageau, and others, eliminated most if not all records of the German cash, along with material on others' contributions. Despite police investigation, none of the burglaries were ever solved.[16]

Schreiber also stated that he transferred at least $5 million from his deals to the lobbying firm Government Consultants International, which had three senior Tories, Frank Moores, Gerald Doucet, and Gary Ouellet, as part of its management team; all three men had close ties to Mulroney. This money came from firms Airbus, MBB, and Thyssen, which Schreiber was representing for Canadian projects.[27]

The Globe and Mail reported on December 12 that money from Strauss had also financed Moores to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars in the early 1980s, through purchase of some of his isolated rural land holdings in Newfoundland.

On December 11, following his testimony before the Ethics Committee, Schreiber was interviewed by Peter Mansbridge, anchor of The National newscast on CBC Television. Schreiber told Mansbridge that Franz Josef Strauss had a policy of helping to elect conservative-leaning governments around the world, by financing their campaigns, and that the Canadian case was just one example. Schreiber also told Mansbridge that Mulroney knew that the $300,000 in cash that he received from Schreiber from 1993-1994 was coming from the Thyssen account, and that the arrangement called for Mulroney to lobby on behalf of Thyssen to develop the Bear Head project, once he stepped down from office as prime minister in June, 1993. Mulroney did not tell Schreiber at that time that the Bear Head project, which had in 1988 received initial Cabinet approval from three ministers, as well as the Nova Scotia government, was cancelled in 1990. Schreiber said he had met with Mulroney and cabinet minister Elmer MacKay at the prime minister's residence, 24 Sussex Drive, in March 1993, to discuss the Bear Head project. This contradicted Mulroney's sworn statement made at his 1996 libel trial that he had had no business with Schreiber. Schreiber said that no receipt or invoice was issued at the time for the C$300,000 deal with Mulroney.[28]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlheinz_Schreiber

[C. Flower]

Stunning stuff.

Do you think he ever met Bertie Ahern ?

Behind Wolfgang Schauble's resignation over euro 100,000.

http://cormaclucey.blogspot.ie/2012/...political.html

The arms industry is evidently enormously corrupt. "This kind of thing" may explain a lot about Greece's current economic debility.

[Ephilant]

Stunning stuff.

Do you think he ever met Bertie Ahern ?

Behind Wolfgang Schauble's resignation over euro 100,000.

http://cormaclucey.blogspot.ie/2012/...political.html

The arms industry is evidently enormously corrupt. "This kind of thing" may explain a lot about Greece's current economic debility.

And they are not new to "this kind of thing". Another Siemens Scandal brought down the Japanese government in 1914. In that case they were however outdone by the British company Vickers who paid a higher bribe, prompting a "german contact in Tokyo" to blow the whole thing out of the water by sending all the incriminating documents to Reuters. Both Vickers and Siemens were barred from bidding for Japanese contracts as a result. And then, how convenient, WW1 erupted. All the Japanese officials were pardoned and Vickers was "invited" to continue building warships for Japan...

As for Schauble, not only did he have to resign as party leader, he was replaced by none other than Auntie Angela. Who promptly made him finance spokes person. After all, he had the experience...

there is a very unpleasant whiff coming from all of this.

[fluffybiscuits]

What was the Siemens list? Well, as we all know, Siemens is one of THE pillars of German industrialism, since well before WW2. Between 2003 and 2008 Siemens was embloiled in a series of bribery scams world wide, including the USA, Germany itself, Kuwait, and of course Greece.
Reinhard Siekaczek was the German based executive who was responsible for a 1.3 billion Euro slush fund, used to bribe politicians, industrialists and civil servants world wide. He was charged in Germany with fraud against the company (!), got a slap on the wrist and a fine of 100,000 or so, and has not been heard or seen since.
He ran over 3,700 "consultants" world wide, who got paid for their services from his "fund", services which included handing over the bribe to who ever needed paying off.

The key figure in Greece is a German with Greek name and dual nationality Michalis Christoforakos, former CEO of Siemens Greece.

He is charged with managing a 57 million slush fund used to bribe Greek officials in order to get contracts for Siemens.
Christoforakos disappeared and was arrested in Germany at the end of June, and is fighting extradition because according to his lawyer Stefan Kursawe



A total of 15 PASOK and ND politicians have been rumoured to be recipients of bribes from Siemens. Pasok did at some stage point the finger at 5 PASOK and 7 ND members, while ND only named PASOK recipients of the bribes.

The biggest name in the game so far is Mr U-boat, former PASOK Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos,who is in jail and who is suspected of trousering some 2 billion in backhanders, includig a handy sum from Siemens and "related" companies. He is best known for taking loads of money to buy 4 submarines for the Greek navy, which now turn out to be faulty, and possibly even "refurbished". He is also linked to a string of offshore companies, dodgy property deals and dealings with ex Cypriot Interior Minister Dinos Michailidis who is reputed to have literally taken millions across to Cyprus in suitcases.
Akis Tsochatzopoulos maintained his electoral base in Thessaloniki through bribery as well, by, amongst others, spending over 2.5 million on tickets for the local PAOK football team to be handed out to "supporters". He is also accused of having serious links with the criminal Roma gangs and the famous "Black Sea" Greek gangs.

Greek Parliament is currently debating whether criminal proceedings should be brought against 13 former and serving ministers over this. Amongst the 13 are former PASOK prime minister Costas Simitis, who has the rather unfortunate testimony of his trustee Theodoros Tsoukatos to deal with. Theodoros Tsoukatos declared under oat that it was an established practice” for some companies to make donations to political parties. Tsoukatos was ejected from PASOK in June 2008 along with former Transport Minister Tasos Mantelis after admitting to accepting 1 million then DM from Siemens. Other biggies on the list are Giorgos Alogoskoufis, ex ND minister of Finance and Christos Markoyiannakis, ex ND minister of the Interior. There were no tents involved in this

And to give the whole story a typical Greek flavour, Siemens and the Papademos government settled "out of court" for a sum of 270 million Euro, and the tearing up of some 80 million worth of outstanding bills to Siemens. Strangely enough, within 2 weeks of this agreement, Siemens was awarded 41 million Euro worth of contract for signalling for the Athens metro... Contract paid for by the EU from some or the other (sluch?) fund.

Siemens has also started legal proceedings against Greece in Germany, claiming they should not have to pay any further fines if other "findings" emerge.

Some people think Sokratis had somehow managed to get the full list of people, and amounts received from Siemens, and was silenced. But that is only speculation.

This stuff reads like something from a Robert Ludlum novel! Imagine if that list did surface , as the whole list would be worldwide it would be interesting to see who made it.

[Ephilant]

This stuff reads like something from a Robert Ludlum novel! Imagine if that list did surface , as the whole list would be worldwide it would be interesting to see who made it.

The only one, as far as I can see, in the modern Siemens Bribery department who could possibly know the full extent of this is Reinhard Siekaczek, the slush fund manager. But then he had, according to his own testimony, over 3,700 consultants. And I would think there was very little paperwork kept. On the other hand, in this kind of set-up, paperwork is one sure way of keeping people on board, but if in the wrong hands....

What is fascinatingly disgusting is to see how the tentagles of corruption spread around the place, and how the various corruption scandals we do know of seem to be linked. You would e.g. wonder why the Canadians would not go and support their own industry and buy their airplanes from Bombardier? then you find that ThyssenKrupp, who did the bribing, are linked to Siemens. You find that Bombardier is linked to Flick, who own amongst other beauties the Nobel Dynamite factories, and are linked to... Siemens. And the links are linked again through politicians, strangely enough all of the same persuation, and the CDU party in Germany seems to be streets ahead of all the others. Or maybe the others are just better at keeping their mouths shut?
The whole business module of these guys, going back to the foundation of the companies in the hay day of the industrial era, is based on corruption. Even the invention that got them going, the telegraph, is really nothing but a mechanical ouigi board. It had indeed a needle that pointed to the sequence of letters... Scary stuff.
Within 50 years of its foundation, the company was bringing down governments at the other end of the world, in Japan. A few wars later they were enthousiastically supporting Hitler, and had many facctories in close vicinity of a variety of concentration camps.
It does indeed make a fascinating read. Today, it is the largest European company with over 360,000 employees, and happily owns it's own Financial Services division, still produces tonnes of weapons, happily bribes its way around the place, and nobody seems to be willing to take a really close look at what these guys could be up to. I can imagine that a company with that many employees might want to bring down its payroll a notch or 2. Use of concentration camp inmates would have been a good way of doing that. What a peripheral Europe full of unemployed people?

[fluffybiscuits]

Siemens playing silly games as well according to this blog...


http://insomniacanonymous.wordpress....ion-in-greece/

On November 11, 2010, Siemens turned off 35 traffic lights in central Athens in protest against Greek government fines as high as €500 million ($650 million) to settle allegations of bribery to win contracts

[Ephilant]

Siemens playing silly games as well according to this blog...


http://insomniacanonymous.wordpress....ion-in-greece/

Didn't think it would have made much difference. Nothing like a good beep of the horn to get through the city. Traffic lights only slow you down
But they did indeed. And our friendly, forgiving politicians just gave them another 41 million to put the signage for the Athens metro in place...

[fluffybiscuits]

Didn't think it would have made much difference. Nothing like a good beep of the horn to get through the city. Traffic lights only slow you down
But they did indeed. And our friendly, forgiving politicians just gave them another 41 million to put the signage for the Athens metro in place...

Was that part of a deal after they made an out of court settlement with the Greek government? Hello there was a screw up but here is more contracts

[Ephilant]

Was that part of a deal after they made an out of court settlement with the Greek government? Hello there was a screw up but here is more contracts

A few well placed brown envelopes can work wonders, irrespective of scandals...