Former defense minister, wife remanded after testimonies
Former defense minister Yiannos Papantoniou and his wife Stavroula Kourakou were remanded in custody late on Tuesday after denying charges of money laundering during a marathon deposition before an investigating magistrate and prosecutor.
The former Socialist minister started his deposition on Monday and completed it on Tuesday after 18 hours.
He denied charges according to which he laundered some 2.4 million euros in kickbacks from a contract to upgrade six Hellenic Navy frigates that was signed in 2003 during his stint at the helm of the Defense Ministry.
He further claimed that revoking the contract would have resulted in damages to the Greek state.
Kourakou also denied the charges during her testimony, which lasted for four hours.
Judicial authorities are also expected to ask Parliament to determine whether bribery charges against Papantoniou have expired under the statute of limitations.
If not, the case file will be returned to the judiciary and the former minister could face additional charges.
The statute of limitations does not apply to money laundering.
