By Paul Nicholson
March 27 – Olympiakos and Nottingham Forest owner Evanglos Marinakis has had all charges against him dismissed by the Greek Supreme Court, the highest court in the country.
The allegations included those of leading a criminal organisation.
“After years of endless negative media coverage, non-stop machinations and a protracted judicial process, my integrity has been unequivocally ascertained by the Greek Supreme Court. The decision of the Greek Supreme Court confirmed that the allegations against me were unfounded and do not merit even for a court hearing,” said Marinakis in a statement.
“Despite all of the negativity and false allegations, we continue to conduct our business affairs in a principled and professional manner and have excelled as always in our various endeavors, be it in our extensive social responsibility activities around the world, but also in shipping and football.”
Marinakis referenced the damage to his personal and business reputation saying: “The constant attacks and press coverage around these allegations came at a great cost to my family and my personal and business reputation.”
At the weekend the anti-Marinakis narrative was picked up again after a local Athens court revived (under a unique provision within Greek law) an investigation into a drugs shipment intercepted by the Greek coastguard four years ago.
One of the original allegations were that Marinakis and three business associates were storing drugs shipped into the country in 2014 from the Middle East on a cargo ship called Noor 1. That case was closed in 2016 and 12 people convicted. Marinakis was not then, and hasn’t been now, charged with any drug-trafficking or criminal offenses in the Noor 1 case.
The Greek media story, picked up around the world and in the UK in particular, throws a different spin which Olympiakos supporters suggest suits a different Greek government and football agenda to divert attention away from PAOK’s Greek Russian owner Ivan Savvidis who entered the field of play displaying a holstered hand gun to dispute and complain referee decisions during a match against AEK two weeks ago.
Savvidis, a Russian oligarch, held political position in Russia and is reportedly close to Russian president Vladimir Putin. He has become close to the Greek government who in turn are actively courting Russian money and investment into Greece. Savvidis’s actions are embarrassing and led to the suspension of the Greek Superleague.
In his statement Marinakis alludes to the latest brouhaha, and his belief of government manipulation, saying: “I am delighted with my exoneration and I am confident that similar attempts will have the same destiny, including the slanderous criminal investigation that has recently been associated with my name and announced, if not decided, by some members of the press, fabricating a slanderous narrative. Sadly, members of the government were actively engaged in the latest deeply dishonest initiative that has no standing in law or fact.”
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