Remand in custody for Kampouris on fraud charges against e-EFKA: lawyer calls decision "unjust"
The president of LAOS Philippos Kampouris was remanded in custody following his examination on charges of fraud against the state. His lawyer describes the remand as "unjust".
Kampouris behind bars – lawyer speaks of "injustice"
According to Newsit.gr, LAOS president and television presenter Philippos Kampouris was remanded in custody following his examination in connection with a fraud case against e-EFKA and the state. The same decision by the examining magistrate and prosecutor was imposed on his wife as well, whilst three other defendants alleged to be members of the network were also remanded.
Kampouris's lawyer, Apostolos Lytras, spoke on the Live News programme and described the decision as unjustified. "There were these remands in custody, my personal view is that they are truly unjust," he stated.
Regarding Kampouris's role in the companies, Lytras stated that his client "was a silent partner", meaning the real owner of companies for which he chose not to appear publicly. "There were people who were the managers of these companies. There was an accounting firm that dealt with all these matters," he added.
The lawyer also disputed the very existence of the fraud offence, invoking economic arguments: "For someone to commit fraud, they must also receive money. Here the money is owed." He stated that the companies operated normally in entertainment venues, call centres, catering and clothing, and had a turnover. "There was therefore no reason for someone engaged in this activity to undertake this scheme. It is completely irrational," he emphasised.
Lytras also criticised the general atmosphere in the courtrooms, saying that it is rare for a decision to deviate from the direction that has been established. "When there is remand in custody, it is not a sentence in anticipation," he stressed.
Concluding, the lawyer addressed the defendant's profile: "Here we have the leader of an extra-parliamentary party, a person who has businesses, who was not faced with the question of either leaving the country or concealing evidence." He also pointed to the fact that the authorities have already proceeded to seize information through surveillance, ruling out in his view any reason for flight or concealment of evidence. "The law on remand in custody is a last resort," Lytras concluded.
Source: Newsit.gr