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This particular NGO... – Good morning Achilleas Topas …
- Good morning Kostas
About a week ago ACTUP was called before the Committee of Hearings
to explain why they haven’t submitted the reports
regarding the progress and the use of funding
they had received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
isn’t that so Achilleas?
That’s exactly how it is Kostas
Good, I say this, and it’s the reason why I host you once again,
because after the first broadcast
the president of the NGO, Mr Kampourakis, sent a letter to us,
a letter full of characterisations
and comments on how the story was presented by us,
however not one comment on the actual issue there…
Mr Kampourakis, who has repeatedly denied to come to our show on SKAI
in order to give explanations on how the funding was used by this NGO.
Now Achilleas, what does he say in his letter?
Kosta, Mr Kampourakis talks about “distortion of the truth”,
about “efforts to destroy his name and reputation”,
he claims he was never notified on the research of the story
and the broadcast we did two weeks ago
and also that his side of the story was not heard.
He also mentions something that is quite interesting,
that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health
are the only bodies with legal interest in the finances
and how they are used and monitored by ACT UP,
to which he is the President of Board, as those Ministries have provided the funding.
We have to point out here that for any state funds,
every Greek citizen has the legal interest to know,
as those funds derive from the taxes they all give to the state.
- Exactly.
We talked to Mr Kampourakis three times
before the broadcast on SKAI.
Mr Kampourakis denied saying anything to me on the phone,
he denied listening to me actually,
he insisted we met in person,
I’d told him at first that it wasn’t possible at the time…
The issue is that he denied giving his own explanations on the radio as he was asked
and Mr Kampourakis denied once again when we contacted him the following weekend…
Yes, you contacted him as well, Kostas,
and I sent Mr Kampourakis a written request with queries on this issue…
Is there anything in the letter he sent us regarding the actual issue?
Is there anything about how he used the 200.000 € in 2004 and 2006?
He doesn’t mention anything about that,
he doesn’t deny or reject any of the arguments produced on the broadcast
and, as we’ve already said, he doesn’t say anything about the essence of this issue.
We said he was to be called before the Committee of Hearing and he was indeed…
- Achilleas, let’s pause for a minute
and go on with our discussion right after the news report…
We had started a conversation with Achilleas Topas before 7:00,
listening to the contents of the letter
sent to us by the president of ACT UP Mr Konstantinos Kampourakis…
So Achilleas, let’s conclude this story…
Kosta, Mr Kampourakis claims in his letter that he wasn’t notified, as I said earlier….
- We had informed him… - As I said earlier I talked to him several times
and after a point he stopped answering his phone…
What I’m interested in, this Mr Kampourakis,
has he got anything to say about the accusation of Mr Simon Rawicz
who reported to you
that he was asked by Mr Kampourakis to falsify receipts
to cover the expenses of the 2004-2006 projects
One issue there...
Secondly, has he got anything to say
about why he was called before the Committee of Hearings of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?
Does he answer to all these issues, which are the essence and core of this story?
To all these he has not replied,
even though I sent them to him in my written request.
What is particularly interesting, Kostas,
is the fact that since the first broadcast until today,
former members of the Board of Directors of ACT UP,
with which I’ve discussed
–members that have been in the Board of the NGO for several years–
claim that they were never informed on the financial aspects of the NGO,
how they were managed,
while asking from the President, Mr Kampourakis, to inform them on that matter.
And that is another equally important issue which has to be explained…
In any way, Mr Kampourakis might not give explanations to SKAI
but I suppose he will be called to give them to the appropriate authorities…
- To the appropriate authorities, yes…
The Hearing Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
has received certain facts and receipts from the NGO ACT UP
and they are being processed at the moment.
- Thank you very much.