Health minister calls for resignation of rehab center chief

Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis on Monday night called for the resignation of the president of the state-run Organization Against Drugs (OKANA), which runs the country’s biggest rehabilitation program for drug users, after his deputy, Zeta Makri, publicly accused Meni Malliori (photo) of mismanaging funds.

Speaking to Skai TV on Monday night, Makri claimed that a probe of the organization’s finances found that some 5 million euros are unaccounted for. She also suggested that the management of OKANA has been borrowing money from the organization’s coffers and called for the resignation of the organization’s president.

Responding to the allegations, Malliori said that when she was appointed to lead the organization it had debts in excess of 37 million euros run up by the previous management. She also accused Makri of issuing a order for OKANA to make a purchase of drugs directly from a supplier without holding a competition first.