From the television sets to the leadership of a party and, since yesterday, on the list of those arrested in a case with an estimated damage of 5 million euros for the State. Philippos Kampouris , a well-known presenter and president of LAOS , is alleged, according to the case file, to be one of the leaders of a criminal organization that has been operating since 2021 .
His wife, Anna Synouli , was arrested with him, as part of a large operation by the Economic Crimes Prosecution Service that resulted in eight arrests in total.
The method described in the case file was circular. The defendants allegedly established a series of businesses in different sectors, from advertising agencies and nightclubs to restaurants and clothing stores , without themselves appearing anywhere in the official documents. In their place, according to the authorities, were placed “straw men” , people who were facing serious survival problems.
Through them, the organization operated its businesses normally and collected profits, without paying social security contributions or taxes . As soon as the debts ballooned to unmanageable levels, the companies were closed, transferring the burden to the State, and immediately opened new ones. The damage to e-EFKA is estimated at 1.5 million euros . Among those arrested are accountants , who allegedly managed the books of the circuit.
The most sensitive aspect of the case, however, is directly linked to the second capacity of the alleged leader. The audit authorities are examining the possibility that some of the companies issued fictitious invoices to the party, in a possible attempt to launder income through party channels. This is a scenario that is under investigation and has not been confirmed.
Philippos Kampouris himself has been a familiar face to the Greek public for years. He became widely known through television, building a highly controversial profile with eccentric appearances and televised confrontations, before turning to politics and assuming the leadership of LAOS.
His personal journey in recent years has been particularly difficult. On Easter 2020, he suffered a serious stroke . From April 2022 to July 2023 , he successively lost his mother , father and sister , journalist Gina Droulis . Last August , in fact, he had reported that he was the victim of an attempted murder when a man attacked him with a knife in a restaurant, an incident he attributed to his public presence.
Today’s development adds a completely different chapter to this journey. All those arrested retain the presumption of innocence until an irrevocable court decision is issued.
