Vasilis Papadopoulos, who is said to have appeared as the middleman in a deal to sell munitions to Saudi Arabia, and who according to Defense Minister Panos Kammenos possessed a power of attorney from the Saudis, was convicted irrevocably of smuggling in 2014, according to a report in the daily Ta Nea.
The name of Vasilis Papadopoulos and the Olympiaki Viomihania S.A. company stirred memories of the past among financial crime squad (SDOE) officials and customs officials, who recalled a smuggling case that had preoccupied authorities and courtrooms for over a decade.
SDOE in mid-2003 launched an international investigation, at first in Greece and Serbia, and then in Switzerland, the British Virgin Islands and the Caribbean.
The investigation concluded recently, after many years, in Thessaloniki, with the irrevocable conviction of Papadopoulos by an Appellate Administrative Court in Thessaloniki.
The court examined the case in depth and “in substance” and upheld his conviction on smuggling charges. Papadopoulos was handed a 340,000 euro fine.
The Appellate Administrative Court Ruling
Administrative appellate court ruling 517/14 rejected the appeal, filed by Papadopoulos and Olympiaki Viomihania, against ruling 2913/2011 of a Thessaloniki lower administrative court.
The lower administrative court imposed an 83,967.47 euro fine for a “customs smuggling violation” on Vasileios Papadopoulos and Olympiaki Viomihania S.A., as culpable for smuggling, tariff evasion and tax evasion.
The court also slapped Papadopoulos and Olympiaki Viomihania S.A. with another 251,902.41 euro fine, which was triple the tariffs and taxes that they had not paid to the Greek state.
Finally, Papadopoulos and Olympiaki Viomihania were forced to pay 6,046 euros for remaining charges.
