Greek media accuse the coalition partner of the Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Defence Minister Panos Kammenos for a lie about the exact financial amount that was spent on his stay in Washington.
Although the government of SYRIZA promised and stands for the lower costs that include traveling with economic instead of first and business class, not using government cars, the newspaper “Proto Thema” and “Ta Nea” published information that Kammenos for his stay in the US enjoyed a large luxury.
According to the information of “Proto Thema“, that published the full account of the hotel “Fort seasons” he spent about 1,400 dollars per night for the stay, although he claimed to have paid only $ 300 during the visit to the US.
The newspaper points out that there is a huge difference between the amount stated in the official account and the one that Kammenos insists he paid.
The Greek minister initially claimed that he had paid only 268 euros per day, for later to write on “Twitter” that the correct amount is $ 300 per night. Kamenos claimed he stayed in an ordinary room, but according to the account of the hotel, he stayed in the luxury apartment “Georgetown” which costs 1,408 dollars per night. After the publication of the newspaper, however, Kamenos on “Twitter”, recognize the right amount, that the stay costed 1,400 dollars per night and that he had paid 920 dollars for dinner. But he claimed that the amount was paid by himself personally, from his own pocket, and not from public money.
What causes outrage in the media is that Kamenos initially gave incorrect information and confessed only after the media uncovered the whole situation and the right amount.
The newspaper required a response to whom the card belongs to, and whether Kamenos paid with his money and if it is really his personal money or if he receives them back from the state and the ministry.
As a reminder, one of the first measures introduced by SYRIZA was stopping all luxuries and privileges that the government and MPs had.
A large part of the ministers come with their own vehicles, the Minister Yanis Varoufakis comes with his own motorbike and there is a rule by which they are required to travel by economy class in order to spend less public money.
