Ex chief of Church NGO embezzles €5.5million, gets 16 year suspended sentence

The Three-Member Felonies Appeal Court in Athens sentenced the former chief of  the Church NGO “Allileggyi” – Solidarity – to 16 years imprisonment on suspension. Dimitris Fourlemadis was found guilty for embezzlement of 5.5 million euros of public money for charities in third countries.€

According to the court decision, Fourlemadis was unanimously found guilty of the felony of repeated embezzlement and of the felony of simple breach of duty.

The embezzlement refers to €5.1 million given by the Greek Foreign Ministry to the NGO for the purchase of frozen chicken to be donated to Iraq. But also 450,000 euros given in the time from 2005 to 2007 to the NGO for other charities.

According to media, “the court accepted that this money was spent on other purposes than charities, like salaries, payment of utilities, taxes and social security contributions, salaries to Public Relations companies and to other third parties.”

It was the Foreign Ministry under Nikos Kotzias that chased the case, demanding 6.4 million euros. Properties of the NGO and of the Archbishopric of Athens have been seized for this purpose.

Judges recognized for the ex managing director of the Church NGO a “former honest life and good behavior after the act”  This removed the possibility of a life imprisonment sentence.

Fourlemadis is banned from leaving the country and will have to pay 10,000 euros bail.

The court ruled a compensation of 5,000 euros for the Greek state.

In addition to the former NGO chief, the court sentenced also the former finance director of the NGO to 10-years suspended sentence.

Both defendants have denied charges, Fourlemadis said that all the money was spent to cover needs of the NGO.