The sacking at the government’s request of the chief executive of Greece’s biggest bank, in which a US hedge fund is the second-largest investor, took markets by surprise. Yet the move underscored a daunting obstacle for international companies entering the Greek market: the Athens government’s track record of interfering in corporate affairs whether or not the state is a shareholder. Issues of governance loom larger than ever as the SYRIZA-led administration pushes ahead with privatisation sales agreed as part of Greece’s 86 billion euro third bailout, while unions and even some cabinet members raise obstacles to deals that are already underway. Kerin Hope reports.
Read more: State meddling remains obstacle to international investments
