Filippos Kampouris, president of LAOS party and TV presenter, his wife, and nine other co-defendants were transferred early on Sunday morning (11/10) from the Athens Police Headquarters (GADA), where they had been held, to the Evelpidon Courts to face charges in the alleged fraud case against EFKA (Greek Social Security Agency) and the Greek state.
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Kampouris appears at Evelpidon court over EFKA fraud charges
The defendants face prosecution on five felony counts and one misdemeanor charge. The charges include directing, forming, and participating in a criminal organization; fraud and complicity in fraud exceeding €120,000 on a continuous basis; money laundering; and failure to pay employer and employee insurance contributions on time.
It is worth noting that during his transfer in previous days, the 45-year-old LAOS party president shouted to reporters: “I am innocent — this is a conspiracy.”
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Apostolos Lytras: “We are not talking about fraud”
Apostolos Lytras, defense attorney for Filippos Kampouris and his wife, spoke outside the Evelpidon Courts immediately after the defendants were transferred to the investigating judge, describing the case as one involving debts that were inflated due to accounting errors.
Mr. Lytras — who represents the defendants alongside attorney Yannis Glykas — stated: “We are here to submit our defense on behalf of Mr. Kampouris and his wife. What I can tell you is what we have said from the very beginning: we are talking about certain company debts owed to insurance authorities — specifically to EFKA — and some debts owed to the Greek state.
These are companies, some of which were actively operating. When these companies closed down, staff were mistakenly left registered under them as well — companies that were closed and no longer in operation. That is the reason for this large amount owed to the insurance authority.
The actual amount owed by these companies — in which Mr. Kampouris was involved in some capacity, as we will clarify during the investigation stage — does not exceed €250,000. With penalties and surcharges, and due to the error of staff remaining registered under companies that were not actually operating — which, you understand, works against the companies themselves — the total amount grew to what it is now.
We are therefore not talking about fraud. We are talking about debts that arose from business activity, which at some point the responsible party should either settle through an out-of-court arrangement or, in any case, repay.”
