To the extent appropriate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assist by all appropriate means the Greek Justice, which it trusts completely, for the full clarification of the case, the same sources said.
Foreign Ministry sources clarify about the alleged “falsification of a document of the case file NOVARTIS by the Translation Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “and the publications on the same case:
“The translation system followed by the Translation Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was the same, both under the SYRIZA government and under the ND government, until August 31, 2021. Before the implementation of the new Law (law 4781/2021), the Translation Service outsource the work of translation to collaborating private translators. A fact which, out of ignorance or malice, some people fail to mention.
What has changed is that with the legislative initiative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendiasand Law 4781/2021 passed by the Greek Parliament, the existing problems were treated and transparency and accountability were strengthened to the maximum extent, as, as explicitly stated in yesterday’s announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “the Translation Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was repealed by Law 4781/21, it was not known to have the authority to check the content of translations “.
Both the Translation Service and the Translator did not keep a copy of either the translated text or its translation.
Specifically, until the 31st of August 2021, during which the specific translation took place, the system operated as follows:
The Translation Service collaborated with private translators based on whiteboards, who worked outside the Translation Service. The Translation Service certified the original signature of the translator, who was also responsible for the performance of the translation (see ΥΑ Φ093 / 3 / ΑΣ1856 / 1998).
In 2017, during the SYRIZA government, article 22 of the Organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was replaced by article 18 of law 4505/2017 (Government Gazette A ‘189 / 8.12.2017), which provided that the issues of organization and internal operation of the Translation Service, such as Indicatively, among others, the translation quality control system, document management, translation file keeping, translation of copies of translations, etc. are defined by the “Internal Rules of Operation of the Translation Service”, which is ratified by a presidential decree issued on a proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
No such presidential decree was issued until the end of SYRIZA’s government term.
The new translation system and the abolition of the Translation Service
On 28.02.2021, Law 4781/2021 was published, which concerns the organization and operation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is its new Organization.
Article 478 of the new Statute stipulates that upon the entry into force of the new translation system, the Translation Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall be abolished.
The implementation of the new translation system and the abolition of the Translation Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was set to take place in six (6) months from the entry into force of the new Organization, ie on September 1, 2021.
The specific translation in question, according to the complainants, refers to the period of the transitional period, during which both the Translation Service and the translator did not keep a copy of the translated text and its translation.
The main features of the new translation system
Unlike the old translation system, the new translation system through the Board of Certified Translators provides a set of provisions that ensure the quality and safety of the translation. Specifically:
a) The certified translator is obliged to keep a complete electronic file, as well as an identical backup file of it, of all the translations he has performed, with the indication of the “Unique Serial Number” (barcode) of the translation for each translation.
b) The certified translator is obliged to immediately notify to the competent authorities, by law, any forgery, forgery or falsification of a document, as well as to provide any other relevant information.
c) Each translation is identified by a “Unique Serial Number” (barcode), which is provided to the certified translator, through the information system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the time of receipt of each request for translation.
d) For the correct execution of their work, the certified translators are supervised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for conducting audits, inspections and investigations, either upon a relevant complaint or ex officio.
e) For the effective exercise of its supervisory responsibility, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may request, through a reasoned request, the assistance of the National Transparency Authority.
F) The Supervisory Board of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may impose penalties depending on the degree of guilt, the gravity of the act or omission and the personality of the examinee who is found guilty of committing the offense.
It is therefore obvious from the above that the problem of transparency in translations was identified and treated, but also that the new legal framework had not been implemented when the translation referred to in the publications took place.
Regarding this case, it is also obvious that to the extent appropriate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assist by all appropriate means the Greek Justice, which it trusts completely, for the full clarification of the case.
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