Former Greek defense minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos, being tried on money-laundering and corruption charges and already given an eight-year sentence for failing to declare his wealth, now has been fined 613,000 euros ($809.9 million) by the Court of Auditors after a review showed he was unable to justify his income.
The Court of Auditors’ Fifth Department said the fine was imposed after looking into his financial records from 1998-2010 which found he had an “unjustified pecuniary advantage” shorthand for meaning his wealth far exceeded his reported income, which is common for Greece’s rich and elite.
The Court mentioned that this particular amount of money was included in the declaration of the origin of wealth that he filed with the Greek Parliament during the years in question.
Speaking at the Athens Appeals Court on June 20, Tsochatzopoulos accused his successor at the ministry, current PASOK President Evangelos Venizelos, of scrapping the offset agreements that went with the contracts for submarine purchases that are at the heart of the investigation. He said that by doing so, Venizelos had deprived the country of significant benefits linked to the procurements.
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