The 83-year-old arms dealer Panagiotis Efstathiou went to court today to state his plea in response to the allegations of former deputy director of armaments Antonis Kantas.
Mr. Efstathiou, who is accused of bribery and money laundry, has also been investigated by the German courts for his involvement in the armaments scandal. In August his offices in Kolonaki raided by August.
During the 1997-2002 period which the Greek courts are investigating, the defendant operated as a representative for German companies Rheinmetal and Atlas. Evidence recovered has shown that payments worth 180 million euros were made towards Greek officials.
The former deputy director of armaments has also named another arms dealer in the scandal, who attempted to reassure him that “an experienced office in Monaco” would make sure “nothing is found”. Mr. Kantas revealed that he was paid in cash and via Swiss bank accounts and off-shores.
Aside from the weapons dealers, Mr. Kantas has also made references to the involvement of political divs in the armament scandal, without however providing any concrete evidence. The investigation into the scandal will undoubtedly cause turmoil in the political scene.
