Kasselakis: Gov’t invests taxpayers’ money to benefit private sector

Attica Bank is a “private bank with public money,” SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Stefanos Kasselakis said on Tuesday.

“The state owns 72.5% of Attica Bank, having paid around 500 million euros in two capital increases, 153 million in the first capital increase at the end of 2021, and 329 million through the Financial Stability Fund, and 39.8 million through e-EFKA in the second capital increase on December 23, 2022,” Kasselakis said, referring to the unified social insurance fund EFKA. The private individuals of Thrivest and Pancreta Bank have only paid 33.8 million and 29.9 million euros, respectively, he added, covering 21% of the second capital increase.

“In other words, the state – or Greek taxpayers – will participate in a new capital increase with another 350 million euros, and will end up – with the activation of warrants – to own only 33% of Attica Bank,” the main opposition leader said, terming it a “private bank pillar, with state investment” government program.

The ‘same recipe’, he said, was followed for Piraeus Bank and for the Public Power Corporation, with a 2.4 billion euro and 800 million euro loss for the state, respectively.

“The government persists in ‘investing’ our money, and (having) the end benefits garnered by private individuals,” the SYRIZA leader underlined.

“The contemporary Left does not follow interests. Tha path leading to society’s demand for change is the path of conflict – at any cost – with interests that harm Greek taxpayers. I call on PASOK to ‘walk together’ on this path. This is the only path for convergence,” Kasselakis concluded.