Pizza Fan Case: First Five Defendants Released Under Restrictive Conditions

by · Greek City Times

The first five of 10 defendants in the Pizza Fan case have been released under restrictive conditions after appearing before an investigating magistrate, with the proceedings continuing as five more defendants prepare to give their statements.

Following the hearings, the magistrate and prosecutor jointly imposed conditions on the defendants, depending on each case. These include reporting to a local police station and paying bail of €5,000.

The five defendants include three accountants, a software developer and the owner of a Pizza Fan franchise in Nea Ionia.

Their lawyer, Miltiadis Zisidis, said his client had been released after a lengthy hearing.

Read more: Pizza Fan Owner and Employees Arrested in €25 Million Greek VAT Probe

“After a lengthy and exhausting statement, we highlighted all the critical legal and substantive gaps in the case file, in our view, as well as technical shortcomings, because the algorithm operated differently from the way it was presented,” he said. “With the agreement of the investigating magistrate and prosecutor, my client was released.”

Tax authority investigates possible information leaks

Meanwhile, Greece’s Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) is investigating whether any of its employees may have been involved in allegedly leaking information ahead of a tax inspection at Pizza Fan.

The inquiry follows revelations concerning the alleged illegal activities of the business owner and associates.

On Monday, October 26, at the instruction of AADE Governor Giorgos Pitsilis, the authority’s Internal Affairs Directorate formally asked the relevant Greek Police departments whether their investigations or evidence in their possession indicated that specific AADE employees may have been involved in the alleged leaks.

The authorities are examining claims that people connected to the restaurant business, which faces allegations of tax evasion, received advance warning of an impending tax inspection.

The request stems from references in recorded conversations between people involved in the case. According to the allegations contained in those conversations, the business’s representatives had learned about the planned inspection before it took place.

The investigation into the possible leak remains ongoing.

(Source: AMNA)

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