Open Letter from ISI on matters related to judicial proceedings in Greece

The ISI has published an open letter regarding the judicial proceedings in Greece against Mr Andreas Georgiou, the President of ELSTAT, and comments from two former ELSTAT members about the organization of an Open Meeting entitled ‘Intrusion of the judiciary in the course of the production of official statistics’ during the World Statistics Congress in Hong Kong.

Open letter to members of the ISI Family and the International Statistical Community

September 12, 2013 

Dear Colleagues, 

Some of you may have received letters from two former members of the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) recently.  The two letters were concerned about: a) the position of the ISI regarding the judicial proceedings in Greece against Mr. Andreas Georgiou, the President of ELSTAT, and b) the organisation of an Open Meeting (entitled `Intrusion of the judiciary in the course of the production of official statistics’) that was held during the ISI World Statistics Congress in Hong Kong from 25-30 August 2013. The first letter was dated August 23, 2013, and the second one was undated.   

Copies of the two letters are appended to this open letter (but the names of the two individuals have been removed). Readers can find additional background on this case at the links provided at the end. 

It appears from the first letter (of 23 August 2013) that the two individuals misunderstand or misinterpret the ISI’s position with respect to the judicial proceedings involving Mr. Andreas Georgiou. In their letter, they state: 

1.   “It (the ISI) will deplore the judicial process in train in Greece against Mr. Georgiou”  

2.    “We note that the world would consider outrageous a possible attempt of the ISI or any Eurostat bureaucrats to devalue the integrity of the Judiciary in Greece” 

3.    “Professional status does not exempt statisticians from the rule of law.”  

We agree that it would be outrageous for anyone to attempt to devalue the integrity of the Greek judiciary. In addition, statisticians should not be exempt from the law because of their professional status. However, these considerations should not prevent the ISI from preparing and circulating statements that may be used in legal proceedings to enable more informed decisions to be made by the judiciary. It would be inconsistent with proper judicial proceedings if these individuals make submissions but, as they seem to indicate, others like the ISI should not be allowed to do the same. 

With respect to the judicial process in train, our position on the prosecution of Mr. Georgiou has not changed.  As we said in our statement last February, “the ISI representatives express their profound disappointment and serious concern over the prosecution of Mr. Andreas Georgiou, President of the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) and two of his ELSTAT Managers. The charges against Mr. Georgiou and two of his Managers of exaggerating the estimates of Greek government deficit and debt for the year 2009 are fanciful and not consistent with the facts.“

The comments in the two letters about the Open Meeting, that was held at the WSC in Hong Kong, contain numerous errors of fact.  The Open Meeting was called by an ISI member and not by the ISI. The discussion document was prepared by ISI members, not by ISI elected officials or committees. The intention was to discuss general issues related to `Intrusion of the judiciary in the course of the production of official statistics.’ The letter-writers complain that, unlike Mr. Georgiou, they were not asked to present their position at the Open Meeting. Mr. Georgiou was not asked to make a statement at this meeting, and he did not do so.  Furthermore, anyone could have attended and participated in the open meeting. These two individuals chose not to do so, but decided instead to circulate letters without knowing the full facts. The second letter also makes a number of other false statements, including a claim that the ISI intentionally concealed information they had sent us about their scientifically-based positions.  

The ISI is fully committed to upholding the values stated in our Declaration of Professional Ethics. We will continue to review the developments in Greek statistics, as we do with developments in other countries, and will make statements on behalf of individuals or the profession whenever appropriate.  

Sincerely, 

Jae C. Lee      
ISI President (2011- 2013) 

Vijay Nair 
ISI President (2013- 2015) 

September 12, 2013