Scandal against Private Firms
Finally, the curtain falls, for the worst Board Members who ever walked through the door of the Information Society S.A. (K.t.P. A.E.) According to information, it was requested of all members to resign, and last Thursday they held their farewell meeting, not in order to make decisions though, but to safeguard their weekly compensation of around 80 Euros which they receive as a fee per board meeting, just to cause problems within the company.
Tragic is the account of their work which they leave behind, in all respects and fields.
To the management of State Aid, not only did they fail to announce even one new action, but with their actions they managed the cancellation of the activity of Digi-Mobile, to the amount of 30 million euro, even before an official update was issued to the companies that submitted proposals and let it be noted that in this activity over 7.000 lower-middle class businesses had applied.
Creating a variety of obstacles, they managed to form conditions so they could become spokesmen with companies that had implemented the projects.
This criminal strategy however led to many delays, finally preventing businesses to carry out their projects. From the 350 million budget they received for action, it’s highly unlikely that 60 million was actually absorbed.
300 million was lost for the lower middle class businesses, which were waiting for a breath from the funds of the National Strategic Reference Framework (ESPA), in which if they are not absorbed they have to be returned to the European Union.
They managed to increase the average payback period of investment projects from 70 days to an estimated 1,000 days, while they made various unsubstantiated reports to authorities and froze payments to businesses by creating pretext for further delays and problems in our already struggling and suffering Greek Economy.
It seems though, that on their way out of the door, they also got what they deserved! Countless lawsuits and damage claims from companies in which they tried and in many cases managed to destroy.
Apparently they never understood their position and role, or they most probably had other purposes and plans in their minds all along!
In the field of Public Sector Projects, it seems that things went a little better, since they managed to give all the projects to their own companies, again however creating huge delays with result, many projects risking being left outside the budget.
The anti-corruption prosecutors, if they want to address the issue and really dig into it, they will surely find a ‘Gold Mine’ of corruptive evidence against them.
Let it be noted that the President of the Board Members, and the one responsible for the whole fiasco was Antonis Ioannidis, Assistant professor for (ASOEE) Higher School of Economics and Commercial Sciences. Ioannidis, a man with a dark past because of his involvement in the case of illegal financing towards the University of Ioannina, and the slush funds in the telephone numbers portability project, was placed on a recommendation from Menelaos Daskalakis (former CEO of New Democracy party), and despite ongoing failures, he was supported by the office of Antonis Samaras (former Prime Minister of Greece), with which he claims that he communicated regularly and privately.
His accomplices to the above: mainly other members of the board. Let it be noted that most board members are also united by family ties.
Top of the list of course you will find scheming Stathis Panagiotopoulos (well known member of Information Society S.A., and a highly discussed member within the Board itself).
Panagiotopoulos also played the role of mentor, advising and instructing. A new face is also added to all this dishonesty and corruption and it goes by the name of George Tsakogiannis (former CEO of Information Society S.A.), who seems to have faithfully executed all commands given to him.
Ohhh… Poor Greece!
It remains to be seen, what changes the new government will make in the area of information and technology. Will it place in power new people with better and correct vision, OR will the new power just be combined and united with the old?
Athanasios D. Laspopoulos
Journalist
“”My name is Athanasios D. Laspopoulos and I have been a journalist for the Journalist Union of the Athenian Press since 1960.
For the past years, I have worked closely with the situation of the company INFORMATION SOCIETY S.A., which since 2011 and after the absorption of the company DIGITAL AID S.A., is the Official Intermediate Management Body for providing EU funds to Private Firms who successfully implement Information Technology investments.
Due to the increased number of complaints which I received from companies that have completed investments in relation to the Funding Actions that are managed by Information Society S.A., I personally investigated for the matter, in order to reveal the truth and to update the public and Authorities in charge accordingly.
My research has revealed a lot of interesting things and it is my obligation to inform the Greek people, the new Government, as well as the European Union, to what is going on with Information Society S.A., the company which manages huge funds from the NSRF (National Strategic Reference Framework / ESPA) and also operates with the Greek taxpayer’s money.
Attached is one of my articles and I kindly request from you AND your media network, to give me the means so that my article is published, in an attempt to help Greek private companies to get what is rightfully theirs!
Till now, EU funds are kept from their rightful owners, by people in position of political power, who are not willing to release money that is supposed to be distributed and who prefer to keep funding only private companies according to their “wish lists”.
It’s sorrowful because we want to be called European Citizens, but on the other hand, we have this disgraceful Administration of the European funds, we blame our European Partners, when in fact we are the only ones to be blamed for all that is happening.
The Board of Information Society S.A. is holding huge amounts of EU funds and delays payments to private companies who are beneficiaries under the National Strategic Reference Framework, putting their existence at stake.””
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