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Co-defendant: Konstantina Raptis, wife of Giannis Moraitis, former president of ELLAKTOR’s subsidiary, REDS.
On Wednesday, September 25, Anastasios Kallitsantsis, the former powerful figure of ELLAKTOR, will stand trial before the three-member Court of Appeals for aggravated breach of trust.
The case concerns a contract that ELLAKTOR signed with Nexus Design Studio in 2020 for consulting services worth €260,400, which ELLAKTOR claims was paid without being delivered.
Co-defendant Mr. Kallitsantsis is Konstantina Raptis, the wife of Giannis Moraitis, the former president of ELLAKTOR’s subsidiary REDS, which owns Nexus Design Studio and is accused of being an accomplice in the breach of trust.
The case reached the courts following a lawsuit filed by ELLAKTOR’s management against Raptis and Kallitsantsis in 2021. This is another episode in the “war” that has been going on since 2021 between the new management of ELLAKTOR and the former powerful figure of the group, Anastasios Kallitsantsis.
The complaint filed by ELLAKTOR was submitted to the Athens Misdemeanors Prosecutor’s Office in March 2021, targeting Anastasios Kallitsantsis and Konstantina Raptis, as well as any other responsible parties that may emerge during the investigation. ELLAKTOR sought to have Mr. Kallitsantsis prosecuted for “the crimes of embezzlement and fraud,” and Ms. Raptis prosecuted as an accomplice to those crimes.
As stated in the complaint, “As a result of the foregoing illegal acts, our Company has suffered severe financial damages and a significant blow to its reputation, prestige, and credibility as a public company, as well as disruption of its business operations.
Ultimately, Mr. Kallitsantsis was charged only with a felony breach of trust, while Ms. Raptis was charged as an accomplice.
Conviction in the first instance
In the same case, ELLAKTOR also turned to the civil courts and filed a claim for damages against Kallitsantsis and Nexus on March 31, 2021. ELLAKTOR sought the return of the €260,400 paid to Nexus and an additional €430,000 from Anastasios Kallitsantsis. According to ELLAKTOR’s claims, a relevant clause protecting the company’s interests arising from the indefinite contract it had with Kallitsantsis as managing director and legal representative had been breached.
In March 2022, the case was heard by the Multi-Member Court of First Instance in Athens. The court, in its decision number 850/2022, awarded Mr. Kallitsantsis €470,000 in damages, while the former powerful figure of ELLAKTOR and Nexus were ordered to return €240,000 from the signed contract. The Kallitsantsis side filed an appeal against the first instance decision, the outcome of which is still unknown.
Kallitsantsis: I have a clear conscience
After the first instance decision, Mr. Kallitsantsis made a public statement, claiming that it was a “wrong judicial decision” because “several evidentiary elements were not evaluated”.
“I believe this is a flawed judicial decision. The sequence of evidence that we presented was not considered. I am confident that there will be a correct decision in the following judicial levels, to which I will appeal. I trust the Greek judicial system. In any case, I respect the process and do not wish to comment publicly on the content of the first-instance decision.
I have a clear conscience because I have served the company’s interests with consistency and effectiveness for more than thirty-four years, especially during the almost three years in which I had the honor and responsibility of leading the ELLAKTOR Group, of which I am a co-founder. I am sure that both the facts and the law will confirm this,” he said.
