Kalogritsas withdraws from TV auction, releasing license
Yiannis Kalogritsas, the winner of one of four Greek TV licenses in a recent auction, withdrew from the competition on Monday, pointing to a "corrupt circle" that, he claimed, had sought to accuse him of "everything except Kennedy's murder."
In a statement released shortly after the Media Ministry rejected his request for a 48-hour extension for submitting the first tranche of the license fee, Kalogritsas said he and his family have been relentlessly attacked by the media since entering the competition, accused of tax evasion and debts to the state.
Noting that other candidates also had debts and were subject to probes, Kalogritsas said he owed nothing to mistake and that his "only real crime was to seek to acquire a TV license as a new businessman."
Kalogritas's license is to go to Ivan Savvidis, the Greek-Russian businessman who made the next highest bid in the auction.
The other three licenses went to Skai and Antenna channels and a new channel called Alter Ego belonging to shipowner and owner of Olympiakos soccer club Vangelis Marinakis.
The Kalogritsas family is embroiled in controversy as it has been extended millions of euros in loans by state lender Attica Bank despite its companies being deemed to have a relatively low credit rating.
