The search for sums of money that may be linked to defendants in the “Choriatiko” bakeries case is expanding in Ireland , adding a cross-border dimension to the financial investigation.
The Irish authorities transmitted information about suspicious bank accounts to the Greek Anti-Money Laundering Authority, with its head, Charalambos Vourliotis , initiating the procedures to freeze the identified amounts.
The information from Ireland opens up another field of investigation, as authorities are called upon to verify the origin, route and true beneficiaries of the money . According to the available information, the accounts are allegedly linked to persons involved in the case. However, the total amount of the amounts found there, nor a detailed record of the transactions under examination, has been made public.
There have been successive updates on the progress of the seizures. The initial reports referred to the start of the relevant procedures, while a more recent report by ERT reported that the accounts in Ireland were frozen . The development shifts the focus to the evaluation of the banking data and their possible connection with the transactions described in the case file.
At the same time, information indicates that data and documents about the alleged actions of the defendants had reached the Greek Authority before the public disclosure of the case . This report indicates that there was already information material available, without clarifying when exactly it was transmitted, what it included or what evaluation had preceded it. The chronological sequence of the investigations remains one of the elements that needs to be more fully captured.
The international investigation is ongoing and broad freeze orders have already been issued for assets, bank accounts and safe deposit boxes of individuals involved in the tax fraud cases involving the “Choriatiko” bakeries and Pizza Fan . The two cases are being monitored in the context of their respective investigations. Their mention in the same freeze notice does not in itself establish that they constitute a single circuit or a common case file.
The measure excludes payroll bank accounts in order to protect the payment of employees’ salaries. The exemption has direct practical significance for staff, as it seeks to prevent the consequences of the commitments being passed on to the payment of salaries. It does not imply, however, that the business operation has been completely exempted from financial control.
Another important finding is the information about 6 million euros that were identified and blocked in accounts of close associates of Angelos Giannakopoulos , according to the SKAI report, which is also reproduced by other media. This amount should not be identified with the money in the accounts in Ireland, as the available information does not substantiate such an identification. The status of the beneficiary of an account and his relationship with the accused are examined together with the specific transactions and the origin of the money.
In the judicial branch, criminal prosecution has been initiated against the 59 arrested for a series of felony and misdemeanor offenses. According to the published indictment, the alleged operation of a criminal organization through business activities linked to the “Choriatiko” chain is being examined. The individual acts and the role of each accused will be evaluated separately during the investigative process.
The charges include formation, management and membership in a criminal organization , as well as fraud against the Greek State and public law legal entities , with an amount exceeding 120,000 euros . The tax component includes tax evasion of over 150,000 euros , through inaccurate declarations and non-return of VAT, along with complicity in tax evasion and forgery for an amount exceeding 120,000 euros .
The case file also includes references to joint and continuous pimping, joint robbery, violation of residence restrictions, and aggravated money laundering . The list reflects the scope of the acts attributed to the case and does not mean that all of them are attributed to each of the 59 defendants. The misdemeanors include the failure to timely pay employer and employee contributions , as well as joint fraud.
All 13 arrested from Rhodes , who are included in the total number of 59, were brought to the courts of the former Evelpidon School . Their transfer is part of the development of the judicial process, during which the accused are invited to take note of the evidence and formulate their defense positions.
The scope of the investigation, however, appears to exceed the initial number of arrests. Greek Police spokeswoman Constantia Dimoglidou said that more than 400 companies are being investigated and that additional individuals will be called in. This is a description of the scope of the investigation and not a finding that all of the companies under investigation were involved in illegal activity.
The search for the money abroad and the examination of corporate relationships are now crucial parts of the case. The authorities are attempting to link individuals, companies, accounts and transactions in order to clarify which amounts are related, if proven, to the alleged acts. The freezing of assets does not constitute a final confiscation or a judicial judgment of guilt. The final assessment will depend on the banking data, tax findings and all the evidence.
