The 59 people arrested are due to appear before the prosecutor this afternoon in the major tax evasion case involving the bakery chain ‘Choriatiko’, which was uncovered after a months-long investigation by the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime.
Among those arrested is the 58-year-old alleged mastermind of the criminal organisation and owner of the ‘Choriatiko’ bakery chain, who had recently been living in Dubai but came to Greece and was preparing to flee again to Albania, despite being barred from leaving the country.
Among the 59 arrested, in addition to the leader, is a former trade unionist with GENOP-DEI, who is alleged to have been his right-hand man and to have acted as an intermediary between the leader, the ‘straw men’ and others involved in the organisation.
Accountants and many ‘straw men’ have also been arrested. Some are foreign nationals who were listed as the nominal managers of businesses in the network, which was fully controlled by the organisation’s leader.
Information available so far suggests the 58-year-old had a network of more than 400 companies, including bakeries, entertainment venues and other businesses, in Athens, Mykonos, Rhodes, Volos and Zakynthos.
The Directorate for Combating Organised Crime has carried out searches in those areas. Bank accounts have also been frozen and, according to the same reports, bank safe-deposit boxes have been opened.
The man arrested as the organisation’s alleged mastermind had previously come to the attention of the authorities. He was arrested in 2008 in a human trafficking case by the Hellenic Police, working with Europol and Interpol.
In 2015, four of those arrested in this case, including the businessman, were sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.
However, in 2018, all the defendants were acquitted on appeal after four women from Moldova, who had alleged that they were victims of exploitation, failed to appear.
The Greek mafia is also alleged to have been involved in the businesses run by the 58-year-old. According to reports, the businessman had faced extortion demands for ‘protection’ and attacks on his premises.