Greece's €206 Million Tax Fraud Network: 917 Entities, 1,283 Defendants, and a Kitchen Porter Listed as Owing €30 Million
THESSALONIKI, Greece, Nov. 10 — Investigation data released by Greece's Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) show how a tax evasion network run through straw owners reached a total of €206,269,437.89 in unpaid taxes and social security contributions, made up of €138,095,260.50 in taxes and €68,174,177.41 in contributions. The investigation identified 917 legal entities, of which 860 had outstanding debts and 380 each owed more than €120,000.
Investigators say the network systematically recruited people in severe financial difficulty to serve as frontmen: poorly paid workers, seriously ill people and even deceased individuals were registered as company owners or managers. The largest debtor on the list was involved in 10 legal entities that accumulated €30,033,700.32 in liabilities, yet he declared no income and earned his living as a kitchen porter on a gross salary of €453.50 a month, with part-time work as a lorry driver paying €440. Another man woke from a coma to find 18 indebted companies registered in his name.
The defendant list runs to 1,283 names and includes two well-known businessmen, accountants, a lawyer, the former model and actor Errikos Petilon, three former footballers — Pantelis Kafes, a member of Greece's Euro 2004 championship squad, Spyros Vallas and Petros Kanakoudis — and former Greek international basketball player Panagiotis Liadelis, although the case file does not clarify the nature of the athletes' alleged connection to the network. The first arrested suspects have begun giving statements to an investigating magistrate, and the 16 people still in custody were expected to complete theirs by Thursday. All defendants are presumed innocent until a court rules.
(Source: Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), Greece)
Source: Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), Greece
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：希腊塞萨洛尼基地标白塔近景。CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Close-up of the White Tower, the landmark of Thessaloniki, Greece. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
