VARIOUS: FORMER KING CONSTANTINE OF GREECE SAYS HE NEVER CLAIMED FOR A PARTICULAR SUM OF MONEY AS COMPENSATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST HIM AS SOME MEDIA SUGGEST

Record ID: 645686

  • Title: VARIOUS: FORMER KING CONSTANTINE OF GREECE SAYS HE NEVER CLAIMED FOR A PARTICULAR SUM OF MONEY AS COMPENSATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST HIM AS SOME MEDIA SUGGEST
  • Date: 6th December 2002
  • Summary: (U6) LONDON, UK (DECEMBER 5, 2002) (REUTERS) SLV NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CONSTANTINE, FORMER KING OF GREECE, SAYING "It's been a lot of misunderstandings about this. I have never ever claimed any money what so ever from the Greek people. I never had, and I never will. Where money was concerned, it was simply the instructions of the court of human rights to the Greek government and to myself to give an evaluation of what my land is worth. That is all." SCU LEGAL PAPERS ON TOP OF TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CONSTANTINE, FORMER KING OF GREECE, SAYING "My only aim is to get my home back, that was my only, only priority was to get my home back. I feel that the government has behaved unjustly, vindictively and that there was absolutely no reason for them to take away my home, and specially to do it in a way of ratifying what Greek dictators did." SLV CONSTANTINE AND FAMILY (SOUNDBITE) (English) CONSTANTINE, FORMER KING OF GREECE, SAYING "If you notice what the government has done, is that it has taken it's money from what they call a budget for disasters. They haven't done very well in these disasters. Athens and a lot of other places have been flooded non stop. People that have been involved in catastrophes like earthquakes are still living in pretty miserable conditions and I feel that once the European court has imposed on the government of my country a penalty for violating my human rights, I'm entitled to take this money and use it where I think it will really benefit the people." MV FAMILY OF FORMER KING; SCU YOUNGER SON AND WIFE ANA MARIA (2 SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) CONSTANTINE SAYING "All my stuff will be at the disposal of the government. The earliest opportunity wishes, probably right after the Christmas' holidays, to be there and to facilitate the transition of all my belongings to the Greek state. My only request is that it is done in an orderly fashion. My only request is that that is done with all inspectors in place." WIDE OF CONSTANTINE AND FAMILY (SOUNDBITE) (English) CONSTANTINE SAYING "I was born Greek, I am Greek and I'm going to die Greek And there are certain things that every human being will not go further, you can not push the individual further and that's my limit. That's my limit. I will never go further where I'm told that I have to request to become a Greek." CONSTANTINE'S WIFE ANA MARIA SAYING THAT HER HUSBAND HAS HER UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT / SHE STARTS TO CRY
  • Embargoed: 21st December 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM/ MACEDONIA AND UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, GREECE
  • City:
  • Country: Greece Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of United Kingdom
  • Topics: Legal System,People,Royalty
  • Reuters ID: LVADM961GU3SNX6SCCFB69YVD2FJ
  • Story Text: Former King Constantine of Greece has said he never claimed for a particular sum of money as compensation for human rights violations against him, as some media have stated.
    At a news conference on Thursday (December 5, 2002), the former king of Greece said that despite what the media had recently published, he never demanded a fixed amount of money as compensation for the violation of his human rights.
    "It's been a lot of misunderstandings about this. I have never ever claimed any money what so ever from the Greek people. I never had, and I never will. Where money was concerned, it was simply the instructions of the court of human rights to the Greek government and to myself to give an evaluation of what my land is worth. That is all," former King Constantine said.
    The statement came after the European Court of Human Rights ruled last week that Constatine should receive compensation for property seized after the royal family fled the country in 1967.
    The sum also includes 900,000 euros to Constantine's sister, Princess Irene, and 300,000 euros to his aunt, Princess Catherine. A further payment of 500,000 euros must be made to all three to cover legal expenses.
    According to some media outlets, the compensation agreed was only a fraction of the almost half a billion euros the exiled ex-king had demanded. Although Constantine didn't give exact figures, he said the difference between the evaluation on the land he gave and that of the Greek government was more than 70 million euros, his sum being the smaller one.
    On Tuesday (December 3), the Greek government complied with the ruling and decided to take the compensation from a "natural disaster" fund.
    "If you notice what the government has done, is that it has taken it's money from what they call a budget for disasters," the former king said as he announced he would create a foundation with the compensation money to aid Greek people in need. " "I feel that once the European court has imposed on the government of my country a penalty for violating my human rights, I'm entitled to take this money and use it where I think it will really benefit the people."
    The ruling ended a 28-year dispute between the former royal family and the Greek state over ex-king Constantine's properties and assets, left behind when the royals fled to Rome and then London, after a military coup.
    Greeks have long considered Constantine's decision to leave Greece an act of treason and several governments after the fall of the junta in 1974 refused to even discuss compensation.
    After a referendum held in 1974 abolished the monarchy, the Greek state seized royal assets and deposited the amount of 120 million drachmas -about $350,000 at today's rates- in a bank account as compensation. The royal family, who is related to the British monarchy, never claimed the money.
    But according to the monarch, compensation is not what matters. What is important to him is that his heritage is recognised.
    "I was born Greek, I am Greek and I'm going to die Greek.
    And there are certain things that every human being will not go further, you can not push the individual further, and that's my limit. That's my limit. I will never go further where I'm told that I have to request to become a Greek,"
    Constantine said.
    Two years ago, the European court ruled that Greece had violated the family members' right to own property since they possessed the estates as private citizens and not in their capacity as members of the royal family.
    The case presented to the European court by Constantine in 1994, concerned three properties, the royal family's former summer residence Tatoi north of Athens, Mon Repos palace on the island of Corfu where Britain's Prince Philip was born and a provincial residence near the city of Larisa.
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