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Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-10-20
CONTENTS
[01] KKE, SYRIZA on Vatopedi probe by Parliament
[02] Piraeus Bank reports 23% hike in 9-month profits
[01] KKE, SYRIZA on Vatopedi probe by Parliament
The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) on Monday said that it will vote in
favour of proposals for both a Preliminary Examination Committee and a
Parliamentary Investigation Committee to probe the suspect land swaps
between the Vatopedi Monastery and the Greek State. The party stressed
in its statement that it will make "every effort to avert cover-ups or
the 'lumping together' of offences". According to KKE, the findings of
the investigation conducted by prosecutors on the case should be sent
to Parliament immediately after an investigation committee is set up so
as to reveal the identity of the individuals implicated by the
evidence. The party also noted that handing over the file to the
Parliamentary investigation committee and Parliament's president would
facilitate the imminent debate on whether to set up a preliminary
examination committee investigating the acts of specific individuals,
scheduled for Friday. SYRIZA Parliament spokesman Fotis Kouvelis
stated that his party will vote in favour of a proposal Wednesday to
set up a parliamentary investigation committee, adding that "all
evidence gathered during the preliminary investigation conducted by the
Appellate Court Prosecutors should be presented to Parliament without
further delay". Kouvelis added that SYRIZA wants an in-depth
investigation into the case, which constituted a "direct attack on
public interest".
[02] Piraeus Bank reports 23% hike in 9-month profits
Piraeus Bank Group on Monday reported a 23-percent increase in
nine-month net profits to 441 million euros, while announcing that
saving deposits grew 48 percent over the same period.
The group said pre-tax profits totaled 537 million euros in the
January-September period, from 437 million last year, up 23 percent,
while financial results rose 24 pct to 476 million euros.
Commenting on the results, Mihalis Sallas, the Group's chairman,
stressed that the Greek banking system remained solid and healthy and
was capable of taking advantage of growth opportunities in the region,
as soon as markets returned to normal operations.
Sallas said Piraeus Bank will maintain a positive trend in its figures
in the fourth quarter of the year and noted that market conditions have
led the Group to slow the growth of its lending activities,
particularly abroad.
Saving deposits, including retail bonds, totaled 31,597 billion euros
at the end of September, up 48 pct from the same month last year.
Saving deposits in Greece grew 45 pct over the same period, more than
triple the average growth rate of the Greek market (14 pct, estimate).
Piraeus Bank said the Group added 178 new branches, 46 in Greece and
132 abroad, in its network. Capitalization totaled 3.2 billion euros,
based on market figures on October 17, ranking seventh in the Athens
Stock Exchange.
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