LAOS leader and wife remanded in custody over alleged €5m fraud

The six defendants remanded in custody include Kampouris, his wife, a man alleged to have acted as a front for the operation, his partner, one of three accountants implicated in the case and another defendant who was subject to a European arrest warrant in a separate case.

Five other defendants were released under restrictive conditions, including, depending on the individual, a ban on leaving the country, mandatory reporting to a police station and bail payments ranging from €4,000 to €8,000.

More than 29 companies under investigation

The alleged fraud ring was uncovered following a months-long investigation which, according to the case file, revealed an organised scheme to defraud the state through a practice known as ‘phoenixing’.

The investigation covers more than 29 allegedly fictitious or repeatedly reconstituted businesses, including nightclubs, advertising agencies and restaurants. According to the case file, companies were shut down after accumulating debts of up to €80,000 each, only for new businesses to be established in their place under different identities, with front men acting as their legal representatives.

The direct losses allegedly suffered by e-EFKA are estimated at €1.5 million, while the total damage to the Greek state is believed to approach €5 million.

Kampouris and his wife deny the allegations

Appearing before the investigating judge, Kampouris and his wife denied the allegations concerning the operation of shell companies and the non-payment of social security contributions.

They reportedly argued that the case concerned outstanding debts to e-EFKA rather than fraud, while placing responsibility for the companies’ financial management on the accountants involved.

Kampouris reportedly told the investigating judge:

‘The failure to pay outstanding contributions and taxes does not in itself constitute fraud, since establishing this specific offence requires evidence of particular fraudulent conduct and the deception of a specific person.

‘I have never been responsible for the accounting or tax management of companies, nor have I made decisions about whether to pay their social security contributions and tax obligations.

‘These matters were handled by the responsible accountants, whose instructions I followed when processing the documents I was asked to sign.’

His wife reportedly stated:

‘My involvement with the businesses was limited to actually performing work, including secretarial and organisational support, staff supervision and customer service.’

Accountants dispute responsibility and implicate Kampouris

The accountants involved in the case have presented a different account in their statements to the investigating judge, denying the responsibilities attributed to them and directing attention towards Kampouris.

One of the three accountants argued that the companies’ ownership structures fell outside the scope of his professional duties. He also denied that his accounting firm’s telephone number had been used for business activities by the companies named in the indictment.

He claimed that his professional relationship with Kampouris had broken down during 2023 and 2024 because of unpaid accounting fees.

According to his account, he stopped maintaining the companies’ books and records and returned their TAXIS login credentials to Kampouris and his associates by email. He said the monthly fee for maintaining the companies’ accounts totalled €1,350.

In his statement, he reportedly argued:

‘The shareholding or corporate structure of the companies, whether declared or concealed, was not part of the accounting work I had undertaken.

‘There is no evidence in the case file that my accounting firm’s telephone number was used for any business purposes by the companies named in the indictment.

‘Furthermore, I believe it is fully established that my professional relationship with Mr Kampouris broke down in 2023 and 2024, when, as I have stated, he failed to meet his monthly financial obligations to my firm and we stopped maintaining the companies’ accounts and records.

‘During the same period, a new accountant took over. As the email I am submitting shows, I returned all TAXIS login credentials for the companies I had been handling to Mr Kampouris and his associates because he was no longer paying the monthly fee of €1,350 for maintaining their books and records.

‘How can I be a member of a criminal organisation when I have had no contact with its alleged leaders, accomplices or members since 2024?’

Another accountant reportedly maintained that his office had repeatedly requested the necessary financial records from the businesses, including bank account transactions, to prepare their tax returns.

‘My accounting department repeatedly and insistently requested the information needed to prepare tax returns, such as bank account transactions. We reached the point of “threatening” not to submit tax returns unless they provided us with the necessary documents, because we could not submit financial statements or tax returns containing false or inaccurate information,’ he reportedly stated.

Alleged front man describes his involvement

One of the defendants, who is alleged to have acted as a front man for the operation, reportedly described how he became involved with Kampouris after experiencing homelessness.

‘I met Philippos Kampouris on one of his television programmes, where I first appeared as a guest around 2007–08, and then we met again on one of his programmes in 2010. From around 2009 until 2013, I was homeless and living on the streets. Then, in 2014, Philippos contacted me and asked me to come to his office for a conversation.

‘He suggested that I help him with some companies and sign some documents for them, and in return he would pay my rent so I could have somewhere to live. From then on, I signed whatever he asked me to sign, and he kept his word. Initially, he paid my rent, and later he let me stay at his father’s house. His father was a jeweller.’

In another part of his statement, he reportedly described receiving documents from Kampouris and his wife, as well as being sent to banks and public service offices on their behalf.

‘Many times, his wife Anna would also give me documents when he could not see me. At first, they had me go to the bank to collect some cards, which I handed over to Philippos. They often sent me to Citizens’ Service Centres (KEP) to obtain authorisations for people they named, and I think some of those people had the companies you mentioned registered in their names.’

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