Greek economy minister quits in housing stipend row
Athens, (MILLAT ONLINE):Greece’s economy minister quit early Tuesday, the prime minister’s office said, hours after his wife was
ousted as a junior minister over a housing stipend controversy.
“Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has accepted the resignation of Economy Minister Dimitri
Papadimitriou,” the premier’s office said in a statement.
Papadimitriou’s wife Rania Antonopoulos, the junior labour minister, had been ousted hours
earlier.
The case has embarrassed the government, which has pledged to eliminate state profligacy
and has imposed tax hikes and benefits cuts on Greeks.
The pair, who were prominent US-based economists before both took leave of absence to
return to Greece to join the government in in 2015 and 2016, while keeping a permanent home in
the US.
But despite being personally wealthy, Antonopoulos sparked a controversy after it
emerged she had requested a 1,000-euro ($1,200) monthly housing stipend available to
government members without permanent homes in Athens.
The case was exposed by pro-opposition daily Eleftheros Typos last week.
Antonopoulos on Monday said she had received 23,000 euros ($28,000) over two
years, and was technically within her rights to do so.