SYRIZA–Progressive Alliance described the Athens Court of First Instance ruling against National Bank of Greece’s monthly €0.80 charge on so-called “privileged” accounts as “a major victory for citizens against the banking cartel.”
In a statement issued by the party’s Press Office, SYRIZA-PS also criticized the Mitsotakis government, accusing it of allowing banking practices to operate unchecked.
The court ruling followed a lawsuit filed last November by the Consumers’ Association EKPOIZO. As a result of the decision, the National Bank is now required to immediately stop applying the disputed charge, which affected hundreds of thousands of deposit accounts.
SYRIZA-PS noted that it had raised the issue early on, while party MPs had also submitted a parliamentary question regarding the automatic conversion of ordinary deposit accounts into fee-based “privilege” accounts.
The party stressed that the outcome demonstrates how coordinated civic action can produce tangible results, while also criticizing the New Democracy government for failing to intervene against what it described as abusive banking practices.
