Word: pasok
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...parliamentary elections amid a series of scandals linking some members of his government to huge embezzlement, fraud, payoffs and illegal arms deals. On top of that, there was his public romance with Dimitra Liani, a former airline flight attendant half his age. But Papandreou's Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) slid only far enough to lose its majority. And since no other party won more than half the seats, Papandreou, who was hospitalized in serious condition last week with lung, heart and kidney complications, is staying on as caretaker Prime Minister while the struggle continues to form a government...
...charges came from George Koskotas, 34, imprisoned owner of the Bank of Crete and onetime crony of the ruling elite of the Socialist Party (PASOK). Koskotas, now a fugitive from Greece, is accused of looting his bank of more than $210 million. In jail in Massachusetts and facing extradition, Koskotas told TIME that much of the missing money was used to make regular payoffs to PASOK officials...
Papandreou's staunch denial of wrongdoing did not prevent rival politicians from calling for his resignation. "He is becoming a laughingstock with his repeated theories about plots," said Constantine Mitsotakis, head of the conservative New Democracy Party. Two members of the Prime Minister's own PASOK party, both former ministers, also called on Papandreou to step aside -- so far the only signs of internal revolt...
...Papandreou. It was apparent to Koskotas that something was wrong. Sternly the Prime Minister warned that because of the passport violation, Koskotas might have to go to jail. Eventually Papandreou declared Koskotas need not worry. But there were certain requirements. An election was coming, the Prime Minister stressed, and PASOK needed 5 billion drachmas ($33 million). Thereupon, says Koskotas, Papandreou bluntly described a much expanded plan for kicking back interest payments. Koskotas, he directed, should work out the details with Deputy Prime Minister Koutsogiorgas. Says Koskotas, sounding surprisingly disingenuous: "I realized it was outright blackmail." Until then he had rationalized...
...weeks later, Koskotas says, the first direct request for money came by telephone from Papandreou. The Prime Minister wanted 200 million drachmas ($1.3 million), purportedly to pay the expenses for a PASOK youth festival. Georgios Louvaris would drop by. In the following months, says Koskotas, Papandreou made two other personal calls for cash, each for 150 million drachmas ($1 million), for what he described as PASOK events. Otherwise the Prime Minister received a weekly delivery of around 75 million drachmas...