Years before the Money Laundering Authority ordered the seizure of the assets of businessman Nikos Koklonis and a number of individuals and entities associated with him for fraud and tax evasion, four of his competitors in Piraeus filed for an injunction. Single Court of First Instance.

This was the period when Air Fast Tickets, founded by a now-renowned television producer, received the Chamber of Commerce award as the fastest growing small and medium-sized company in the country.

From the minutes of this court session, to which “K” obtained access, it follows that the sole court of first instance accepted the applications of four companies, satisfying their complaint about “the use of unfair methods of competition by the businessman’s company”.

In their statements, lawyers for the four companies complained that Nikos Koklony’s company systematically sold air tickets through its website at prices that did not match the cost price, that is, the price set by the airlines themselves.

At the end of the litigation, Air Fast Tickets pledged that it would “not engage in unfair ticket sales below cost in the future.” Less than two years later, the company filed for bankruptcy, leaving, according to reports at the time, a multi-million dollar debt to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Therefore, for those who follow developments in the field of business, the news that the Office for the Fight against Money Laundering has completed an investigation against a businessman and his associates, considering him suspected of creating a criminal organization, fraud and tax evasion, does not come like “lightning in the dark”.

The order to freeze his assets was issued on February 22, and the decision of the Office was transferred to the financial prosecutor Christos Bardakis within the next day. Information “K” states that further investigation of the case has already been entrusted to the UBEP. This is a structure created in 2018 and accountable to the Minister of Finance.

A television producer, a lawyer and an accountant allegedly set up “shell companies” by presenting the non-existent face of “Armando Meta” as their manager.

“They are developing a criminal activity with a specific role to create a business in Greece, through which they pursue the obvious goal of misappropriating funds from the Greek state and the European Union and giving legal origin to money from the illegal activities of Nikos Koklonis. and other persons whose identity is unknown in foreign countries”, refers to the provision, according to which the President of the Authority, Charalambos Vourliotis, orders the seizure of all property of seven individuals and twelve legal entities.

The same document describes how a television producer, after consulting a female lawyer with an office in Kolonaki and an accountant, set up shell companies with a non-existent individual named “Armando Meta” as their manager. Some of these companies are based in Greece, while others are based abroad, in the USA (Delaware), Bulgaria, Turkey, etc.).

Through specific companies, they are alleged to have illegally collected VAT (2 million euros) and income tax refunds (615,000 euros), while creating debts (10 million euros) that the state cannot recover, as the legal representative of the companies does. does not exist .

It is expected that the European Prosecutor’s Office will join the investigation. And this is because one of the businessman’s companies managed to enter the development law – through an application to the competent development ministry – providing, in principle, the possibility of financing it from community funds (with the amount of 2.5 million euros). According to K, there have been meetings between Greek and European officials in the past to better coordinate investigations.

The lawyer, the partner of the businessman, has previously appeared in the media – domestic and international – as suspected of being involved in an investment pyramid in India. The issue was covered in the spring of 2019 by The Times of India. The relevant publication reported that a businessman – a television producer and a lawyer, through a consulting company they created in India, attracted investors, who were then allegedly deceived, transferring the funds they collected outside of India. “K” applied to the law office for clarification about the outcome of the case, but did not receive a response.

The commercial activities of another company, in respect of which the decision was made to freeze its assets, has already occupied the authorities since 2017. Its administrator was Nikos Koklonis before being transferred to the defunct Armando Meta. It turned out that she sells mobile phones and other electronic devices over the Internet. Customers had to pay the full price before the products were delivered to them, within 2 or even 3 months. However, this did not happen, resulting in more than 100 victim complaints collected from the Ombudsman and the General Secretariat for Consumer Affairs during the period 2017-2018. Before the case went to trial, an out-of-court settlement was reached and the company agreed to gradually repay its defrauded customers.

The order of the Office indicated the name of a 36-year-old citizen of Albania, an associate of the TV producer. In some of the transactions discovered by the FDA, he allegedly used a stolen woman’s passport, on which he placed his photograph. Today, he is being held in the prisons of Korydallos, having been arrested by police from the Attica Narcotics Sub-Directory for possession of four kilograms of processed and raw cannabis.

However, Nikos Koklonis himself, with his messages on social networks and appearances on television, denied his involvement in illegal activities, clarified that he would contribute to any control by the authorities, and also made it clear that “I will not do you any good to lose 600 people” and “Lightning is not afraid of a clear sky.”