Corrupted and autocratic leaders have common characteristics, with nepotism and paranoia topping everything else. Another common characteristic is the choice of the people who work for them. The Roman emperor, Tiberius Julius Caesar (42 BC – 37 AD), known as one of the most corrupted, incompetent and unethical Roman emperors had one rule regarding his ministers, counsellors and officials that surrounded him, to choose the worst, the most corrupted and the most unethical people, so that comparatively he always looked better.

The Delphi Economic Forum was founded as an NGO in 2016 with a dual mission. Firstly to create an annual meeting for officials and investors from all around the world - in the footsteps of the Davos based World Economic Forum - to talk and focus in Greece; Greek economic possibilities, Greek industry, Greek politics and investments in Greece. The second reasoning was purely political and it had mainly to do with its conservative background. It was to stand up to the changes, or at least the changes the conservatives feared that will come with the for-the-first-time in Greek history, left government of SYRIZA. Ironically, they saw themselves as capitalism’s last stand against communism and the left in Greece.

The aims of that forum were purely political and obvious from their first meeting, but they became part of the conservatives’ burlesque in 2019 when New Democracy, the conservative party with strong far right elements came into power and Kyriakos Mitsotakis became the new prime minister. So for 2020, the year with ‘their’ government in place and controlling, the organizers announced their main speakers for the annual meeting to an international audience, creating a general and loud ridicule and outcry from all the social media and the few still independent media of the country.

The main speaker was Kyriakos Mitsotakis, prime minister followed by: Mareva Grabowski, Kyriakos Mitsotakis ex-wife and so called first lady of Greece; an entrepreneur better known for her involvement in the Panama papers’ scandal and money laundering. The others were Alexandra Mitsotaki, Kyriakos Mitsotakis sister and former president of the NGO ActionAid Hellas, with a lot of questions and suspicions over her resignation from an NGO she founded. Kostas Bakoyannis, Kyriakos Mitsotakis nephew and the new mayor of Athens, better known for his incompetence as the mayor of Karpenisi and his complete ineffectiveness as regional governor of central Greece. Sia Kossioni, Kostas Bakoyannis’ wife -Kyriakos Mitsotakis nephew; a TV news anchorwoman in a second rate pro-government TV channel. Alexia Bakoyannis, Kyriakos Mitsotakis niece and Kostas Bakoyannis sister; in her bio she presents herself as communications and investor relations expert. Antigoni Lymberaki, Kyriakos Mitsotakis cousin; professor of economics in Panteion University who according to her bio has written a lot of …articles and worked with Kyriakos Mitsotakis sister in her NGO. Platon Tinios, Antigoni Lymberaki’s husband; substitute professor in Piraeus University; ha has also written a lot of …articles. Last but not least, Costas Synolakis, Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ father godson and professor of Natural Hazards Management and Coastal Engineering in University of Crete.

Since this sounds more like a family reunion than an economic forum with an international audiencee and after the strong outcry from the social media, Mareva Grabowski retrieved her participation. Too little, far too late. However, the message is clear, the ruling of this country is a family affair and while you might argue that each one of them might qualify to participate in any economic forum, all together at the same time makes it provocative, challenging and a strong sign of corruption.

But rumors have it that the family’s tenancy for state affairs is not limited to a random economic forum but have reached all edges of the government with Mareva Grabowski, - Kyriakos Mitsotakis ex-wife and so called first lady of Greece an entrepreneur, better known for her involvement for the Panama papers’ scandal and money laundering – to be the ex-officio secretary of state, minister of economics, investments and public works.  Other family members and friends cover the rest of the ministries. This might partly explain the catastrophic decisions in foreign policy, like the support of the wrong side in Libya or the constantly compliant attitude towards Turkey regarding the drilling rights in the Aegean Sea.

While Ms Grabowski’s role remains in a mist, politicians mainly known for their populism, opportunism, lack of transparency, suspicious past and extreme far-right -to the limits of racism-attitude have become ministers, counselors and top officials with responsibilities on justice, policing, health, interior, agriculture or investments aiming firstly to replace everybody in the public sector with people “loyal” to the regime and good in keeping secrets(?).

A major caricature among all these grotesque corrupted caricatures is the Minister for Development and Investment, Adonis Georgiadis. A cult telemarketer and publisher who became minister and vice president of the conservative party due to series of coincidences and because it suited the shadowy plans of a former leader, the most corrupted politician in modern Greek history, Antonis Samaras. Adonis Georgiadis is involved with the international Novartis (the pharmaceutical company) bribery scandal and while all accusations and data have come from USA and the FBI he has staged a whole conspiracy theories show, accusing the former PM Alexis Tsipras for conspiring against him with the ….FBI threatening with the …execution squad for …treason. Trump and Goebbels must feel really proud of him. However in-between exposing conspiracy theories in friendly TV stations and tweeting in a Trumpist way, he finds the time to work as investments minister showing exceptional preference to certain “investors”, regardless of their past, their present or their serious troubles with justice. Oddly but not surprisingly one of these “investors”, the one with the very dodgy past has …family ties with the prime minister!

Greece supposedly just recovered from nine years of exhausting memorandums which led the majority of the Greek people into poverty and unemployment. The road to the memorandums and all the misery they brought was paved by people like Mitsotakis, his party and Mitsotakis himself; whose family played  a major role in the catastrophe. However for a very twisted reason and showing that Greek people haven’t learned from their own history, they gave him the power to rule the country and he does what he knows best, destroying everything built with sweat, blood and tears. Greece this minute lives under the rule of a corrupted far-right and authoritarian gang under the shadow of one family!