SYRIZA ministers, PM’s office linked to Folli Follie scandal

A report by an auditing firm forwarded to the Athens prosecutor’s office handling the investigation into the scandal involving the Folli Follie jewelry company has implicated two ministers of the former SYRIZA government, which are mentioned by name, as well as the prime minister's office.

In particular, an e-mail between a security executive of Folli Follie and the company’s then major shareholder, George Koutsolioutsos, includes a reference to the then Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, where it is stated, among other things, that “the instruction from above is to assist the [Folli Follie] Group. This is the position of Maximos Mansion [the PM’s office]. The Prime Minister was also informed.”

It also implicated a member of the SYRIZA party and another MP who went on to become a minister. 

The report includes emails in 2018 from a company executive to the then managing director, George Koutsolioutsos, which claimed that SYRIZA officials supported the Koutsolioutsos family in maintaining control of Folli Follie and were pressuring the Hellenic Capital Market Commission to delay an audit.

The prosecutor’s office is expected to decide whether the report will be sent to Parliament, based on the law on the responsibility of ministers.

George and his father Dimitris Koutsolioutsos, the company’s founder, face felony charges relating to the falsification of the company’s financial data.