BoG chief convenes meeting over loan to gov't official

Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras has called an emergency meeting with officials from Attica Bank to discuss a controversial loan that was issued by the Greek lender to Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis.

The central banker's demand for a meeting came after media reports last week suggested that Polakis had been granted a total of 100,000 euros in personal loans from Attica against a house in his native Sfakia in Crete, which already carries a mortgage of 300,000 euros.

Responding to criticism on social media in the wake of the revelation, Polakis admitted to having applied for the loans in order to "cope with" family and professional demands after experiencing a significant reduction in earnings as a result of having to give up his job as a surgeon.

The issue has also drawn criticism from the opposition, with conservative New Democracy saying that...