Banker probed over US$10m transfer

ATHENS—A financial prosecutor in Greece has ordered an investigation into the alleged transfer of €8 million (US$9.9 million) out of the country by a former senior official at a newly-privatised bank. Prosecutor Spyros Mouzakitis on yesterday instructed the Finance Ministry’s fraud division to carry out the probe into the legality of actions allegedly taken by the official of ATEBank, who was not named publicly. The troubled state bank was privatised last month, in a decision that triggered rolling 24-hour strikes by a union representing the bank’s employees and has strained the country’s six-week old government coalition, with a junior partner opposed to the sale. Bank of Greece governor George Provopoulos confirmed Friday that the alleged money transfers by the banker would be investigated. (AP)