Siemens bribery scandal: 64 suspects referred to trial

A total of 64 people were referred to trial by the Judicial Council of the Court of Appeal for their alleged participation in the corruptions and bribery scandal that broke out in Greece almost seven years ago, over deals between Siemens AG and Greek state-owned telecommunications company, OTE.

The 64 suspects face criminal charges of active and passive bribery along with money laundering, as well as illicit payments for contracts signed between the German colossal company and OTE.

More specifically, the defendants are accused of being involved in the so-called "8002" contract signed in the late 1990s, with the purpose of upgrading and digitizing Greece's national telecommunications network. Is should be noted that more than 60 million euros were allegedly paid in bribes to secure the deal.

The list of the 64 suspects to face trial includes Theodoros Tsoukatos, a former associate of one-time Prime Minister Costas Simitis, 13 German former executives of Siemens company and several former executives of OTE.