The Appeals Court of Athens has appointed judge Christos Katsianis to investigate the bribery scandal involving the president of the far-right LAOS party Giorgos Karatzaferis. Mr. Karatzaferis faces a felony charge of submitting an inaccurate asset statement and a misdemeanor charge for participating in an off-shore company.
According to the case file against him, Mr. Karatzaferis allegedly received 1.6 million euros in two installments, in 2007 and 2008, via the Catalina LTD off-shore company, that is thought to belong to him and his son. The funds appear to have been paid out by a businessman and a middleman who negotiated the purchase of four Super Puma helicopters for the Hellenic Armed Forces in 2000, at the cost of 64 million euros.
During the preliminary investigation it also transpired that Mr. Karatzaferis may also be involved in another off-shore company, Homeric TCI. Two more businessmen and three former Armed Forces officers are going to address bribery and money laundry charges on the 12th of January. The judicial authorities believe that about 5.5 million euros were paid out in kickbacks, with the LAOS president thought to have received 1.6 million euros.
