While the US the media lashes out at Trump every time he dares to tell the truth that the central bank is a biased, engaged, political member of the decision-making landscape, other “developed” countries are happily willing to demonstrate just how apolitical the central bank truly is. Take Greece, for example, where today the chief prosecutor ordered a raid of the home of the governor of the Greek central bank, Yannis Stournaras and the company office of his wife, Lina.
Yannis Stournaras
The searches were part of a probe conducted by the Financial Police in connection to the alleged mismanagement of more than 1 million euros in state funding by the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention, KEELPNO. The investigation related to funds that KEELPNO allegedly received through a company owned by Nikolopoulou as well as complaints regarding the disappearance of documents tied to the case.
According to the WSJ, the raid was part of a continuing investigation into business Stournaras’ wife has done with a state entity, officials said, in a probe that may heighten tension between the top bank official and the left-wing government. Lina Nikolopoulou-Stournaras, the wife of central bank Governor Yannis Stournaras and owner of an communications company specializing in the medical sector, is under investigation from Greek authorities for business she has done with the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention, or Keelpno.
In yet another case of alleged embezzlement, last year Greek authorities charged board members of Keelpno, with misappropriation of funds over contracts they had awarded between 2011 and 2013. Ms. Nikolopoulou-Stournaras has denied any wrong doing in the case. Mr. Stournaras isn’t involved in the business.
Meanwhile, the Greek central bank governor called Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to inform him of the raid and the two men agreed that it won’t affect their work on the country’s banking system, Greek government officials said. In a statement, the company owned by Ms. Nikolopoulo-Stournaras, Mindwork Business Solutions, said it handed over the information authorities asked for and that it operates within the law.
