“Ellinon Synelefsis” leader Artemis Sorras held on remand, faces possible life imprisonment
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The founder of ‘Ellinon Synelefsis’ Artemis Sorras, who has been wanted for 16 months in connection with the group’s activities and a series of charges that might carry a sentence of up to life imprisonment, was remanded in custody following his testimony before an examining magistrate on Thursday.
According to sources, he has denied the charges against him, which include those of forming a criminal organisation, fraud, attempted fraud against the state and the banks and also money laundering, saying that he would appeal against the decision for his imprisonment on remand within the next five days.
Outside the courts where he was testifying, dozens of his supporters arrived by coach from various parts of the country and staged a demonstration.
The charges against Sorras and seven of his associates were drawn up in March 2017, based on an investigation carried out by first-instance court public prosecutor Evgenia Avlidou. According to her findings, ‘Ellinon Synelefsis’ has been responsible for extensive financial losses by the public sector and banks, since it encouraged citizens not to pay their debts but send out-of-court notices instead, so that their debts might allegedly be “settled” using the immense sums that Sorras claimed to have in his possession.
Sorras, who has since been on the run, was arrested on Saturday, by police who tracked him down to a house rented from a family member in the southeast Athens suburb of Alimos. Arrested with him was a 45-year-old supporter, who happened to be with him at the time of the police raid.
The organisation had claimed it was in possession of 600 billion euros that it would use to ‘save the country’.
Source: AMNA