SLpress.gr: Tsipras also in the picture for the Folli Follie affair – The war on the “transactions” continues

New information referring to a “directive from Maximou Mansion” (the PM’s office), when Alexis Tsipras was prime minister, for assistance to the Folli Follie jewelry firm, in May 2018, is included in the report of Price Waterhouse Coopers, which is already under scrutiny by the prosecutor. At the same time, the war of announcements between SYRIZA and New Democracy concerning the “transactions” continues on the occasion of the development of the case and the controversial amendment of 2018 for Duty-Free Shops.

These facts are coming to light while the members of the Koutsolioutsos family continue to appear before the investigator handling the case, in order to give additional depositions for individual acts of stock manipulation and money laundering.

These are data from the audit firm’s report, which appears to include, in e-mails, references to the former prime minister, as well as the alleged will of the then government to support the Folli Follie Group. This is the period during which very serious offenses against investors were reported.

PWC makes use of an e-mail dated May 9, 2018, which has been sent by the Group Security Director to George Koutsolioutsos. This was forwarded by the sender to the office of the then Prime Minister. In fact, the sender of the message is said to have mentioned that Maximou Mansion has given an instruction to help Folli Follie in the matter of the controls of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission.

Folli Follie’s message for Maximou

New Democracy demands further explanations from SYRIZA with a new announcement stating that “In the e-mail of the security director of Folli Follie to its founder who saw the light of day yesterday, there is a reference to the allocation of a “fund (80) “for” some needs “of their” man “who will be” by their side until everything is over “.

“After the revelations, Mr. Balaouras, then chairman of the Finance Committee of the Parliament, came out and essentially admitted the transaction with the specific company, stating that the 80,000 euros went to a hospital in Ilia, his constituency. Why did the 80,000 that Folli Follie allegedly gave in exchange for favorable treatment end up in the constituency of the then chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Affairs? Is this also considered normal for the then government?

In its report, the audit firm points out that the evidence it cites raises suspicions of possible political influence over the management of the financial scandal. He notes, however, that it has not been possible to confirm whether what is described are facts or whether these are actions that were discussed, and the company employee states that they took place.

In the e-mail in question, the Folli Follie employee reportedly stated, among other things, to his employer: “Mr. Giorgos, I would like to inform you about the current results of our mobilization. The instruction from above is to assist the Group. This is the position of Maximou. The Prime Minister was also informed”. According to the employee of the Group, as stated in the controversial message, a specific SYRIZA MP informed the then chairman of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission about the “directive from above”, while it is reported that the vice president of the Athens Stock Exchange Audit Authority was also informed.

It is noted that the Folli Follie case actually started on May 4, 2018, when the report of the American investment fund Quintessential Capital Management (QCM) was published, in which it was mentioned that the Group’s financial data were probably not accurate. Three days later, in May 2018, the Hellenic Capital Market Commission had invited the company to assign the financial audit to an independent international auditing company, while at the end of the month the trading of its share was suspended.

New communications war

It should also be noted that today the persons under investigations Dimitris and Tzortzis Koutsolioutsos, who are incarcerated, as well as Kati Koutsolioutou, the wife of the founder of the Group, who is free on restrictive terms, will be giving depositions to the investigator of the case. This call for additional depositions is not related to the PWC report, as it concerns specific additional acts attributed to the accused.

At the same time, the war of announcements that broke out between New Democracy and SYRIZA on the occasion of the developments in the case continues. Former ministers and SYRIZA executives have been denying any involvement since yesterday and threatening with lawsuits. At the same time, SYRIZA is focusing on the issue of the amendment for the duty-free shops, emphasizing that it was voted by all parties, including New Democracy, which was then in opposition. SYRIZA also emphasizes that last May, New Democracy, as a government, proceeded with a new extension of the regime for the sale of tax-free items, as provided for in the 2018 amendment.

“Yesterday, New Democracy rushed to adopt slanderous and baseless allegations against SYRIZA officials, despite the clear answers of all and their appeal to Justice,” the official opposition party said in a new statement. He even adds that “if someone has not answered yet, it is New Democracy itself”, again asking the question why, in May 2020, as a government, in the ratification of the Legislative Content Act, it foresaw exactly the same extension for the sale regime for tax-free items, which was provided for in the 2018 amendment? ”

SYRIZA insists that this is a distraction and emphasizes that “New Democracy once again sought to profit, but lost instead”. For its part, New Democracy continues to claim that “SYRIZA continues to throw the ball off the court”, insisting that the main opposition party must “give answers about its officials who appear as “supporters” of imprisoned businessmen”.

In fact, on the occasion of what was seen yesterday, through the emails of Folli Follie, the ruling party claims that “all this of course” ties “with the fact that as a government” they were playing back “, when the scandal had already broken out, turning their backs on entrepreneurs “. ND finally points out that “as long as they do not answer, they confirm that the scandals with sued businessmen and what they see in the public eye for the Folli Follie scandal are part of the activities of the” store “or another” outsourcing “…”