For the purpose of forming a complete picture of the organization and management activity of the Hellenic Institute for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies in Venice, 65 years after its founding, the Foreign Ministry proceeded to an in-depth audit of the Institute.
The results of the recent Audit present a picture of the Institute's decay, due mainly to poor and non-transparent management. In parallel, this audit confirmed certain findings of an Audit carried out in January 2010.
In light of the above and by order of Foreign Minister Kotzias, the findings of the two audits were conveyed to the competent judicial authorities -- that is, to the Prosecutor of the Athens Court of Appeals and to the Corruption Prosecutor -- for further investigation.
This action was deemed imperative, given that, over the past five years, the Venice Institute has encumbered the Foreign Ministry’s budget with millions of euros for grants, salaries and other expenditures.
October 18, 2016