New images and testimonies presented by Live News have shed further light on the case of the NGO “Paidiki Chara” (Playground). As investigations, audits, and hearings continue, blame is being shifted from one accused party to another, with defendants denying the charges and reportedly attempting to downplay the scale of the alleged fraud.
The management, family ties, the police officer, and the Luxembourg bank account
The Paidiki Chara NGO appears to have operated as a family business, and is now at the center of an investigation into alleged fraud involving donations for children with serious illnesses. The organization’s management reportedly included 37-year-old Konstantinos Firinidis, his 35-year-old partner, and close relatives of the couple. Authorities are also scrutinizing the role of an active-duty police officer who was photographed with the 37-year-old defendant just days before the arrests. Meanwhile, investigators are examining funds discovered in a bank account the couple held in Luxembourg, as well as the role of his partner’s mother. Authorities continue to gather evidence regarding the organization’s operations and how donations were managed.
From minimal income to skyrocketing figures
According to Live News, no accounting records were kept in 2018 and 2019, and no financial data was officially declared. Financial records for the following years show that in 2020, the NGO reported income of €3,850 and expenses of €3,964, resulting in a small deficit.
The picture changed dramatically in 2021, when declared income reached €547,000 — with expenses reported at exactly the same amount.
The same pattern repeated over the next two years:
- In 2022, income rose to €894,000, with expenses declared at an identical figure.
- In 2023, income reached €923,000, again with expenses reported at exactly the same level.
The consistent pattern of perfectly matched income and expenses — resulting in zero net profit for the NGO — was one of the key indicators that drew the attention of investigators. According to the report, the audit revealed that the organization’s declared financial data did not align with the amounts deposited into the personal bank accounts of the 37-year-old and his 35-year-old partner.
What the 35-year-old claimed
The 35-year-old partner of the alleged ringleader was remanded in custody following her court hearing. She argued that the amounts misappropriated were far smaller than reported, and pointed the finger squarely at Konstantinos Firinidis: “The money they say is missing from the fundraising collections isn’t that much. And what there was, was taken by my former partner — we still live together for the sake of the children — and he gambled it away. He has an addiction. I knew and understood what was happening, and that is why I am asking for forgiveness.“
When it came to the donations collected over the years — money intended for children with cancer and other serious illnesses — she tried to convince the court that she had only purchased a single designer item with it: “All I bought was one Louis Vuitton bag. Everything being said and written in recent days is not true,” she stated. Regarding photos and videos showing holidays and nights out, the 35-year-old insisted these did not reflect their everyday lifestyle: “These are isolated moments from our lives being displayed out of context. We live in a 68-square-meter apartment and pay €500 a month in rent,” she stressed. The 37-year-old defendant’s parents told Live News that the case had been blown out of proportion by the media: “It’s you journalists saying all this. He’s the best son.“
NGO “Paidiki Chara”: Families forced to sign statutory declarations to receive cash payments
Crime reporter Vasilis Lampropoulos made a new revelation on Live News, stating that members of the network allegedly used various methods to project an image of legitimacy for the NGO and to cover their tracks. On numerous occasions, they had parents sign a formal declaration — now part of the case file — based on Law 105, confirming that they had received certain amounts of money from the organization.
Members of the group would have the families who received the funds sign a document addressed to the Paidiki Chara Charitable Association. A document obtained by Mega shows a statutory declaration reading: “As the mother of a minor, I have received from the charitable association the sum of €23,500 in cash, at my own request, due to existing financial obligations. The above amount is provided by the Association as a donation following our request, delivered in full in cash to our family, and we bear sole responsibility for its proper, prudent, and lawful management, with the aim of covering expenses directly or indirectly related to the health needs and daily care of our child.“
According to Vasilis Lampropoulos, the network had reportedly devised a series of tricks to cover their tracks and lend an air of legitimacy to their operations — claiming they would ask parents whether they wanted any of the collected funds directed elsewhere. However, in practice, they distributed only 20 to 30% of the total raised to the families, most of whom had no idea how much had actually been collected in their child’s name. According to sources, investigators initially identified approximately €300,000 that had been funneled through PayPal to Luxembourg as part of a money laundering operation. The financial crimes unit has also traced funds to a bank in Lithuania — the same institution where accounts linked to the defendants in the Mazonakis case, involving two accused doctors, had previously been discovered.
The role of the active-duty police officer
The police officer in question appears to have placed bets at least twelve times on his own team losing — a highly suspicious pattern that led his betting account to be closed. The police investigation revealed that the officer and Firinidis are close family friends and godfather-related acquaintances. Investigators have determined that the officer was using internal police systems to run license plate searches on vehicles requested by Firinidis. The role of this active-duty officer remains under intense scrutiny. He previously served as technical director of a football club and is alleged to have bet on his own team’s defeat on 25 separate occasions.
Police surveillance equipment captured recorded conversations between him and the 37-year-old defendant, up until just days before the arrests.
- Police officer: People are talking about you — asking where you’re getting all that money from and saying they’ll put you in prison, etc.
- Firinidis: Tell them I’m a businessman and I make money from my businesses. The NGO has nothing to do with it.
At the same time, Live News obtained an audio recording of a conversation between Firinidis and an NGO donor: “You’ve worn me out a bit with this business. Blah, blah, blah. Put the money in and let’s be done with it, because you’ve exhausted me. I’m telling you honestly. Put the money in and stop making excuses. A thousand euros isn’t going to save you. You have nothing more to tell me, and I have a lot of work to do. I’m in the office, I can’t spend all day talking about this. We’ve beaten this topic to death.“
The story goes like this: a couple wanted to organize a fundraising event to help a sick child through “Paidiki Chara.” Because cultural associations became involved in the organization of the event, the transfer of funds was allegedly delayed by 15 days — something that did not sit well at all with the NGO’s owner, who aggressively demanded the money be deposited into the account without further delay.
- Firinidis: We’re going around in circles, saying the same things for days. Put the money in and let’s be done with it. Stop dragging this out.
- Donor: Look, he will get the money — it just needs to go through a process. If I’d done it myself, as [name], it would have been sent straight to the IBAN the next day. These association people have a different process, I don’t know what it is. I’ve never been involved with dance associations before.
- Firinidis: Then they shouldn’t make promises they can’t keep. He sits there and tells the mother of the sick child: ‘Kostas is the problem — we should have done this between the two of us.’ I won’t leave anything to chance because I’m extremely protective when someone steps on my toes. I won’t stand for being made a fool of.
In the meantime, Firinidis continued to court celebrities and public figures in order to gain greater exposure. Only by doing so could he boost the organization’s online profile, build credibility and prestige — and continue spending fundraising money unchecked on drinks, travel, luxury cars, and match-fixing, as alleged in the criminal charges.
