GILFOIL: There is a sense of satisfaction within Antonis Samaras’s inner circle regarding his meeting with the U.S. ambassador in Athens and the related post she made on her personal X account.
As Kimberly Gilfoyle noted, as part of her duties, she is committed to collaborating with key figures across the country’s political spectrum, and she continued: “I recently had an excellent meeting with former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to discuss relations between the United States and Greece.”
A little earlier, the U.S. ambassador posted a similar message about her meeting with the New Democracy party’s new Secretary-General, Konstantinos Kyranakis. “We discussed how the United States and Greece can continue to expand U.S. investment, foster innovation, and create jobs on both sides of the Atlantic,” she wrote.
It’s also known as the policy of balance.
VISKADOURAKIS: Thanasis Viskadourakis, an actor and Attica regional councilor serving alongside Nikos Hardalias, says he is ready to make the leap to the national political stage via the New Democracy ticket.
In television interviews (Action24, SKAI), he revealed that he has already spoken with a representative from the Prime Minister’s Office and may soon meet with the prime minister.
“I think that if I look back and say yes—which would be an honor if he invites me—what else can I do but thank God? What can I say? If I look back on those hard years, those dark times, and think that a child is being called by the head of state, the prime minister, who says to you, ‘Come here, my child,’ what can I say? What would Thanassakis say? Of course I’m here—it’s a gift from God. Regardless of the political disputes, which I don’t get involved in,” emphasized the actor, who is running for the A’ Athens constituency.
Yet another example of a showbiz figure who… has his sights set on a seat in Parliament.
KARISTIAOU: Castles fall from within, as is well known. And Maria Karistianou realized that this was in danger of happening to “Hope for Democracy,” so she proceeded to make public accusations and announce upcoming changes. This was preceded by some leaks to the media, which, as it turned out, occurred without the leadership’s knowledge—hence what followed.
As Maria of Tempi noted in a Facebook post, “Many well-meaning people came to my side. To help… with pure intentions, they said, and they joined our teams. Supposedly, we were guided by the same vision: our homeland and our children, the future of our country!”
She herself, as she emphasizes, did not impose “partisan” rules, nor did she single out “her own” people, until “the truth came to light: I learned about power struggles, the buying of candidacies, and the clandestine formation of electoral slates… About the expulsion of citizens due to differing ideologies, and even blackmail… directed even at me.”
The System, according to Ms. Karystianou, “knows the game well; we were inexperienced in it. Now, however, we know what collusion is—from the inside out. ELPIDA, therefore, is changing its form! It’s ‘cleaning house’ and moving forward. Away from hidden agendas and backroom deals. Away from those who couldn’t transform ‘I’ into ‘WE.’”
A difficult equation, especially for a new political party.
TSIPRAS: The debut of the Hellenic Police’s “shadow ministers” provided fodder for pundits of all stripes.
Some viewed Alexis Tsipras’s decision to place the Justice Sector Head—Maria Lepenioti, former (until last year) Vice President of the Supreme Court—to his right, and the Education Sector Head, Ioanna Laliotou, as a signal of the policy areas on which he is placing great emphasis—as well as for the political utilization of these two women.
Others noted that most of the “PASOK-affiliated” members sat side by side, ignoring the name tags that had been placed on the seats. “It makes sense; they come from the same background, know each other better, and the familiarity—combined with the awkwardness of their first intra-party gathering with all the sector heads—brought them closer together,” was the explanation.
And some noticed a sense of anxiety among many speakers as they tried to “align” their day-to-day political interventions with their respective areas of responsibility, since they were participating for the first time in a party body—and, moreover, one with high expectations.
All in all, however, they praised… Marinos Skandamis for his immediate response to Anna Diamantopoulou, who was quick to point out that he had served as Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice under the Samaras government and that it is therefore ironic for him to now present himself as anti-right-wing.
What did the current Head of the Citizen Protection Division of the Hellenic Police (ELAS) say in response? That the “Samaras government” was a New Democracy–PASOK coalition government, so he, like other PASOK officials, held positions of responsibility within that government.
And as many have rightly pointed out, “Will Ms. Diamantopoulou also mock Evangelos Venizelos for his political positions because he was vice president of that government as president of PASOK?”
That’s true, too.
PLAISIO: The new composition of Plaisio’s Board of Directors signals a fresh start.
Konstantinos Gerardos remains chairman and CEO, continuing to steer the company. However, the new five-member board welcomes Athanasios Zarkalis—who has a long tenure at Wind and Vodafone—as vice chairman and a non-executive member.
New members include Spyros Poulidas, who spent nearly four decades at IBM, and Konstantinos-Petros Kyrkinis, co-founder of efood, as independent non-executive members.
ARES: Over the past two years, the (European) investment team managing the private equity funds of Ares Management has approached a number of large domestic publicly traded companies undergoing corporate developments (acquisitions, capital increases, etc.), proposing to invest significant capital, but with a specific, aggressive strategy.
In several cases, the strategy called for a partnership with the controlling shareholder so that the company could be taken private and relisted on a regulated stock exchange after the completion of acquisitions and other restructuring moves.
In at least two listed companies, the above proposals were rejected, either because the proposed strategy did not align with that of the major shareholders, or for other reasons (e.g., high financing costs, onerous covenants, etc.).
Drawing on its experience from previous work at a private equity fund (Apollo), the Ares management team appears to be following the same aggressive approach in its new initiatives targeting domestic companies.
XYDAKIS: Entrepreneur Konstantinos Xydakis founded KX-ID Holding with an initial capital of 550,000 euros and the sole purpose of managing equity investments.
The articles of incorporation do not disclose which companies or assets will be transferred to the new holding company; however, such moves typically precede the consolidation of holdings or new investments.
REAL ESTATE: MAAS IKE is entering the construction and real estate market with a capital of 2 million euros.
Zana Abdulfattah Taw Jakmarak and Goran Latif Omer Omer each hold a 49.5% stake, contributing 990,000 euros each, while the remaining 1% is owned by the manager, Dara Reza.
KONTOKALI BAY: The Voulgaris family has established Avlaki Holding with a capital of 3 million euros, with Kontokali Bay Resort & Spa as its sole shareholder.
Spyridon Charalambos Voulgaris assumes the roles of Chairman and CEO, while family members serve on the Board of Directors. This is not a new hotel investment but a corporate restructuring aimed at strengthening control over the group’s holdings.
TOURISM: Luxury Catamaran Greece is launching with a capital of 360,000 euros and two main partners. PITAROKOILIS O.E. acquires a 65.3% stake, contributing 235,000 euros, while STAMATAKIS COMPANY IKE holds a 34.7% stake with a contribution of 125,000 euros. The venture is focused on premium marine services.
TOURISM II: EVERANTIPAROS IKE is launching with a capital of 235,000 euros and four shareholders.
George Bitharas, of the well-known business family that owns BSB and other companies, and EverExcel each hold 31.5%; Athanasios Panourgias holds 30%; and Nikolaos Oikonomidis holds 7%.
The business plan combines hospitality, real estate, and maritime tourism.
NIKIUM: With an initial capital of 2.835 million euros, NikiUm S.A. is entering the construction and real estate development market.
The articles of incorporation provide for, in addition to construction, investments in other companies and the establishment of subsidiaries.
The shareholders of the new company are members of the Hanikian family and YPEROS IKE, which controls 55% of the capital.
WINE: Apostolos Thymiopoulos is converting his sole proprietorship into a public limited company (S.A.) with a capital of 2.2 million euros.
The business’s contribution was valued at 2.1 million euros, while Eleftheria Tsitsipa is contributing 100,000 euros. The new articles of incorporation are not limited to wine but also pave the way for tourism and hotel operations.
ANTISEL: Anastasia Selidou is consolidating control of ANTISEL into a new investment vehicle by establishing Aurelis Thea with a share capital of 33.56 million euros.
She is contributing 50% of ANTISEL to the new holding company, a stake valued at approximately 33.5 million euros, while the company will be able to acquire stakes, finance subsidiaries, and provide guarantees.
ANTISEL is one of the largest suppliers of scientific, laboratory, and hospital equipment in Greece, with operations ranging from biological and chemical materials to IT solutions and the distribution of specialized equipment.
DOTSOFT: We find ourselves in a somewhat difficult position today. We have no issue with the company itself, and we generally hold both parties to the recent sale of 40% of the EN.A.-listed Growth in high regard.
That is, Dimitris Daskalopoulos’s Diorama, which acquired that stake—and DECA Investments, which manages the fund—as well as the financier and entrepreneur Giuseppe Gianno, who, along with Anastasios Manos, chairman and CEO of Dotsoft, was one of the main sellers.
Except that this time, when it came to the announcements, they made a bit of a… mess.
The first announcement—which, as a reminder, concerns a major deal for the company, of great interest to the other shareholders—states that Diorama made the purchase. On the sellers’ side, however, only the smaller sellers are listed, not the major ones—namely, Manos and Gianno. A significant omission.
In the second announcement, issued the following day—which is... more complete—both of the latter are listed, so investors can now get a clear picture of exactly what happened, who sold, and how many shares.
With one very important—perhaps the most important—omission: the… transaction price.
Before you rush to point out that there is no obligation to disclose the price on EN.A., which is a Multilateral Trading Facility—and this is correct as a general principle—let us note a few things.
DOTSOFT II: From the announcements made so far—which did not mention a price—it appears that both the sellers and the buyer agreed not to disclose the price. Otherwise, they would have already done so.
Most likely because the transaction took place at a very deep discount compared to the price displayed on the stock exchange screens that day.
This is understandable, in a sense, since the liquidity of ENA shares is generally limited—or even, to put it mildly, pitiful.
There is, however, a subtle point. Anastasios Manos, in addition to being a shareholder, is the company’s chairman and CEO.
Therefore, if we interpret the relevant provision of the law correctly (Article 19 of the EU Market Abuse Regulation, which applies in Greece and also covers Multilateral Trading Facilities), the following applies:
“Persons discharging managerial responsibilities, as well as persons closely associated with them, shall notify the issuer and the competent authority of any transaction for their own account in shares or debt securities of the issuer, no later than three business days after the transaction.”
It should be noted that the notification must include “the price and volume of the transactions”
Which means that, specifically for Mr. Manos, there is an obligation to disclose not only the number of shares he sold, but also the price, which will cease to be… a mystery, as it must be announced within the next few days.
So, why all the secrecy? Didn’t they know?