“The presumption of innocence from my side was shattered. We’ll see how the court thought, obviously I don’t deny that it found me guilty. This is a first instance court, this sentence disappears when you file an appeal, I have already filed an appeal. I am innocent and will prove it. The decision changed, this wasn’t the original charge. Obviously this decision doesn’t make me happy, and obviously I don’t carry the stigma of an extortionist in society,” argued journalist Dimitris Maredis after his conviction to two years imprisonment with suspension for attempted extortion of Zetta Makri. The journalist reiterated his belief that he is innocent and conveyed that he will prove his innocence in the immediate future. Additionally, he maintained that he considered the New Democracy MP from Magnesia like a mother to him and that she “trapped him.”
The journalist and close associate of Zina Koutselini, speaking on Ant1, spoke of an unfair decision which, as he says, will be overturned in the appeals court. As he mentioned, he has already filed an appeal and declares certainty about his final vindication. “I was surprised myself. It’s obvious that such a thing never happened. Anyone who knows me knows who I am and how I conduct myself in the field of journalism. This charge is ridiculous,” he said characteristically, adding that Zetta Makri, with whom he maintained a close friendly relationship for 25 years, trapped him. “I considered her like my mother,” he stated.
Dimitris Maredis: I neither took money, nor counted money, nor received money and left
“I have never sat in a court dock even half a time. It’s a difficult thing to be 25 years in journalism and not get involved legally. I didn’t hear anything in court that incriminated me except for a transaction that never happened. With Mrs. Makri we had a 25-year friendly relationship, I considered her like my mother. Would you, Mrs. Karavatou, extort your mother for an amount equivalent to your salary? Have you done your research, all of you experienced journalists here? What does a negative publication mean?”
“The one that was presented by her was a press release from Stefanos Kasselakis’s party, I published this, my colleagues published it on my site, and all sites uploaded it too. Do you consider this a negative publication? It was one of the elements that this lady believed was pressuring her negatively. If you can find me one publication that has a negative tone, slanderous, tell me. Mrs. Makri, from the time she felt blackmailed since early autumn 2024, had sent us about 170 press releases that were published exactly as she sent them to us. She knows that through the columns we have on journalistic sites, about 20 articles had been uploaded that spoke positively about her and her work.
I neither took money, nor counted money, nor received money and left. I want to clarify this. There is no negative publication about Zeta Makri on my site. Mrs. Makri talks about the period from May to July. I’ll explain why a woman I call my mother wanted to trap me. There is a rumor which I don’t have in my own mind, journalists have confirmed it, there was a rumor that I would be an MP in Magnesia, this rumor was first conveyed to me by Mrs. Makri, she admitted it in court but on the radio she said she heard for the first time that I was a parliamentary candidate.
While feeling blackmailed, she had appeared as a guest on three of my shows and had wished me well for the birth of my child. I haven’t communicated with Mrs. Makri in recent months, she was calling me. She was an undersecretary, I didn’t want to bother her. I only called her for my show and she said yes. June 18th, she sent me a message to upload a political commentary. The blackmail victim sends political commentary to the blackmailer to upload it. The court that has an obligation to have the defendant’s criminal record lost it, should I bring it? No one told me, it was blank of course. So the criminal record was lost and my mitigating circumstance wasn’t recognized.”
About his departure from Zina Koutselini’s show
The journalist clarified that he left Zina Koutselini’s show for ethical reasons: “I have a moral obligation to step away until I’m acquitted – and I’m certain I will be acquitted,” he stated.
Zetta Makri’s response through her lawyer
During the show, a statement from Zetta Makri’s legal representation was also broadcast, which expressed complete satisfaction with the trial’s outcome, speaking of a “victorious decision” that included unanimous conviction and a monetary penalty of five thousand euros, without any mitigating circumstances.
“Any other attempt at interpretive approach to the conviction decision can only be perceived as unfortunate and misguided. Our civil democracy protects objective journalism and even allows partisan article writing. However, under no circumstances does public discourse tolerate being transformed into a tool of extortion,” it characteristically states.
