COURT OF APPEAL ATHENS CLEARS GREEK BUSINESSMAN ON CHARGES OF FRAUD AGAINST NATIONAL INΤΕLLIGENCE SERVICE

COURT OF APPEAL ATHENS CLEARS GREEK BUSINESSMAN ON CHARGES OF FRAUD AGAINST NATIONAL INΤΕLLIGENCE SERVICE

 

In a much noted judgment the Five-Member Court of Appeal Athens acquitted on 22.12.2017 Mr V, a Greek businessman who was accused of defrauding the National Intelligence Service in relation to the purchase of an interception system in 2007.

The businessman, who  faced charges of serious fraud, money laundering and tax evasion, had been accused of inflating invoices issued by his company to NIS through an intermediary Cypriot company he owned, which appeared to have provided fictitious software services to his Greek company.

Mr V had been held in pre-trial custody for two years and was convicted to a five years term by a first instance court for tax evasion. The judgment was appealed against both by the defendant and the Prosecutor.

The Appeal Court ruled by a majority decision that the first instance court had erred and quashed the verdict acquitting the businessman on all counts.

Ilias Anagnostopoulos and Ioanna Maneta advised and represented  Mr V throughout the trial hearings.