A Greek prosecutor filed felony charges against prominent Greek banker and onwer of pharmaceutical companies Lavrentis Lavrentiadis over a financial scandal that has led to the demise of small lender Proton Bank, court officials said on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Lavrentiadis, a high-flying businessman who started from the chemicals industry to rapidly expand into banking and media, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing in what is seen as one of Greece΄s biggest financial scandals in years.
Economic crimes prosecutor Grigoris Peponis formally charged Lavrentiadis, 39, with being part of a criminal gang that embezzled Proton funds and defrauded the government, a court official said on condition of anonymity to Reuters. “A second prosecutor has banned Lavrentiadis and another five accused from leaving the country,” the court official added.
The charges are related to accusations that Proton issued more than 600 million euros of bad loans to companies he owned or had connections with, as reported by Greece΄s central bank in an audit last year.
“Peponis on Wednesday called for five crime charges to be brought against the main shareholder of Proton Bank Lavrentis Lavrentiadis and another 27 people implicated in the case of allegedly questionable loans of some 700 million euros made by the lender to Lavrentiadis’ group of companies.
The charges include fraud, embezzlement, forming a criminal gang, money laundering and breach of faith.
Peponis also called for an investigation into whether any members of state inspection bodies should face charges and demanded that measures be taken to ensure that the suspects do not evade justice.
Earlier this month Lavrentiadis was called before magistrates investigating the Siemens bribery scandal to explain how a payment of 1 million euros from the German firm ended up in his bank account. He denied any wrongdoing, claimingto have lent the money to the firm’s Greek branch, Siemens Hellas, before having it returned to him by executives in Germany.” (Kathimerini)
The businessman denied all wrongdoing on Wednsday saying in a statement:
“I deny all charges attributed to me. I will prove the extent of the conspiracy that was hatched against a Greek businessman who believes in Greece and believes in God.” (Athens News)
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