Wife of ex-defense minister released from pretrial custody
The wife of a former defense minister accused of corruption and money laundering was released from pretrial custody Friday on bail of 150,000 euros. She was also banned from leaving the country.
Corruption prosecutor Iliana Zamanika reportedly approved the release of Stavroula Kourakou, the wife of former PASOK minister Yiannos Papantoniou, on the merit of the fact that she had cooperated with authorities investigating the couple’s assets.
“She authorized the investigation of all her deposits at any bank in the world,” her lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, was quoted as saying following Kourakou’s release from the Greek capital’s Korydallos Prison.
Papantoniou has denied accusations that he laundered 2.8 million euros in Swiss Francs, allegedly pocketed in exchange for securing a contract in 2003 to upgrade six Hellenic Navy frigates.
