WTF happened with the 'Lagarde List'?

During the last weeks in Greece we are witnessing a series of events unfolding regarding corruption and money laundering. Former Socialist Defence Minister Yannos Papantoniou is alleged to have received 2.8 million Swiss francs for the upgrade of six frigates in 2003. Since October 24, Papantoniou and his wife, both on the ‘Lagarde List’, are in pre-trial detention as prosecutors considered them a flight risk.

Anti money-laundering authorities have also requested access to the finances of the former Socialist Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and of his brother, as well as of the former Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis and his deputy Vangelis Malesios.

We talked to Kostas Vaxevanis, a well known Greek investigative journalist and publisher. Six years ago he was arrested after bringing to light the so-called ‘Lagarde List’, a spreadsheet containing roughly 2,000 potential tax evaders with undeclared accounts at Swiss HSBC bank's Geneva branch. The document named after former French finance minister Christine Lagarde, who in October 2010 passed it on to Greek officials to help them crack down on tax evasion. With all those scandals tormenting Greece’s public debate we decided to take a look at what happened with the list and how it triggered a wider investigation of corruption.

Production: Tassos Morfis, Gerasimos Domenikos

[RaVa]

What are the status for limitations on these crimes? Can they be investigated by the EU or international authorities? Are those who never paid and just changed their residence from Greece to let’s say Geneva not going to be prosecuted? I’ve been researching this list since it came out, and not much has been available to the public to actually know what has happened. Happy that a few were convicted but what about the potential billions of misplaced untaxed money and thousands of other criminals who are not imprisonmend?