Kamperis and ten co-defendants face judge today over EFKA fraud case

What happens today

Sunday's session opens the main inquiry before the investigating judge, with testimony from all 11 defendants. Filippos Kamperis, leader of the LAOS party, and his wife are among them, and nine other people are due to appear as well. The charge sheet places four accountants and two hospitality entrepreneurs at the core of the mechanism, so they are expected to give explanations to the judge. People who appeared as managers of the companies set up under the scheme will also testify. The proceedings were scheduled to start early in the morning and are expected to last many hours.

The charges

Prosecutors have brought five felony counts and one misdemeanour. The felonies are directing a criminal organisation, membership in and formation of a criminal organisation, fraud against a legal entity exceeding 120,000 euros (continuing and joint perpetration), complicity in that fraud, and laundering proceeds of a criminal organisation as a profession. The misdemeanour is late payment of employer and employee contributions. The judge, acting on a prosecutor's instruction, will also examine whether a sixth felony, tax evasion, emerges from the case. The charge sheet attributes a leading role in the group's activity to the couple.

How the scheme allegedly worked

The case came to light after a months-long investigation that began with a complaint from a former employee. The case file refers to more than 29 companies, including night clubs, advertising firms and restaurants, while police identified at least 25 companies opened with front people that did not pay social security contributions. According to the file, each company was reborn with new details and representatives when its predecessor closed with debts of up to 80,000 euros. The scheme is alleged to have run for at least five years, since 2021. Reports say several well-known singers have already given statements to the authorities about their work with companies flagged as possible front firms. They reportedly told investigators that they agreed performance fees directly with Kamperis, not with the people who appeared as managers.

Damage to the public purse

Damage attributed to the defendants is estimated at 1.5 million euros directly to EFKA. Total damage to the public sector is put at about 5 million euros, and one report gives the figure as more than 5 million. The estimate is still open, because the examination of the financial data is in full progress. The chart below sets out the two figures as they are reported.

The defence

On Thursday at midday, Kamperis was moved under guard from GADA holding cells to hospital, saying he felt unwell. During initial questioning by police from the Security unit, he chose to keep his right to silence and reserved detailed explanations for the investigating judge. Speaking to reporters right after his arrest, he said:

I am innocent, it is a frame-up and I can prove it.

His lawyer, Apostolos Lytras, disputes that the offences of fraud and criminal organisation are established. Lytras said Kamperis took part in some of the companies, but not all, and that such participation for an agreed fee is not illegal in itself. He said:

There are offences, what I am saying is that the offence of fraud does not exist, firstly, and secondly, the offence of criminal organisation does not exist.

Lytras also addressed conversations between Kamperis and his wife that were shown on a SKAI morning programme, which mention a sum of 10,000 euros. In his reading, they refer to a transaction, and a shop discussed in them never opened. He added that, from the file, no money has been found in the bank accounts of his client or of the companies.