Papantoniou’s lawyer says frigate acquisition ‘secured our country’s seas’
Yiannos Papantoniou’s lawyer dismissed the prosecutor’s recommendation of guilt in the former socialist minister’s money laundering case by praising the refurbishment of six frigates in 2003.
In a statement released Monday, lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos said the prosecutor views the frigates’ refurbishment as a complete financial loss for the state. However, he countered, “the decision by Yiannis Papantoniou in 2003 to retrofit six frigates, affirmed by numerous senior Naval Force officials, now contributes to securing our country’s seas. A new frigate is anticipated in 2026!”
Papantoniou is accused of accepting kickbacks related to a 2003 contract to purchase six Hellenic Navy frigates during his tenure as defense minister from 2001 to 2004. He and his wife, Stavroula Kourakou, were temporarily detained in 2018 on charges of laundering 2.5 million euros; she was released in March 2019 and Papantoniou in April 2020.
Earlier Monday, the prosecutor recommended a guilty verdict for Papantoniou, his wife and a close associate.
