A former transport minister in trouble

Greek politics

Dec 20th 2013, 16:15 by K.H. | ATHENS

The Economist

ARE old nepotistic habits finally dying in Greece? The arrest on December 17th of Michalis Liapis, an ex-transport minister and first cousin of a former conservative premier, for driving his SUV with fake number-plates and no insurance, suggests that prominent politicians can no longer count on lenient treatment by the police.

Members of parliament enjoy immunity from prosecution unless their peers vote to remove it, a privilege informally extended to scores of ex-cabinet ministers when they leave politics. Like many Greeks cutting costs because of the crisis, Mr Liapis turned in his number-plates this year to avoid paying road tax after it was sharply increased for owners of luxury vehicles. Stopped by police for running a red light in the seaside town of Loutsa near Athens, he explained he was taking the car for a spin to stop the battery from running down. "I am a pensioner and I too have been affected by the crisis,” he claimed.

As transport minister in 2007 (when his cousin, Kostas Karamanlis, was prime minster) Mr Liapis introduced a new traffic code, saying “the rules of the road must become an issue of national concern.”  Yet driving without insurance is still a common offence in Greece; an estimated 20-25% of private cars in circulation are uninsured.

Mr Liapis was shown on television being taken to the prosecutor in handcuffs after spending several hours in police custody. Within minutes, an ironic "free Liapis" campaign took off on Twitter. Mr Liapis paid his tax, insurance and a fine, but showed no remorse. Instead of turning up the next day for his trial on forgery charges, he flew off for a Christmas holiday in Malaysia. His lawyer claimed the ex-minister was in poor health.

Another former cabinet minister said it was “unprecedented” for a Greek police officer to challenge a member of the political elite over a traffic offence, let alone arrest and handcuff him. But with old-style politicians blamed for pushing Greece into bankruptcy, attitudes have shifted.

Mr Liapis’s name was linked with two alleged scandals over cost overruns while he was transport minister. One involved the purchase of a new bus fleet for the capital, which never appeared on its streets. The other was a €160m ($ 219m) suburban rail link that is still unfinished.

Mr Liapis denied wrongdoing. He escaped an official investigation because of parliament’s four-year statute of limitations. As the founder of the centre-right New Democracy (ND) party’s youth organisation with 24 years of parliamentary service, he still wielded influence inside the party. Antonis Samaras, the prime minister and ND leader, expelled him the day after the arrest, warning that any lawmaker found guilty of unethical conduct would lose a chunk of their salary or pension.