The fraud involving the alleged purchase of thousands of surgical masks for the coronavirus occupied the Three-Member Criminal Court of Thessaloniki, with the complainant being a farmer who had won the first lottery ticket in the People’s Lottery and accused a man who convinced him to “ invest “a fair 40,000 euros for specific protective material during a pandemic.
The court found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to 3 years in prison, suspended for 3 years.
According to the process that was based on the complaint of the millionaire farmer and motivated an investigation by the Thessaloniki Public Prosecutor’s Office for Economic Crimes, the accused presented himself as a successful businessman, drove an expensive car and was accompanied by a lawyer. Initially it is reported that tHe proposed investing in the energy sector and was therefore looking for land to build a photovoltaic park.
Masks and property – “fillet”
However, when the pandemic broke out and the need for protective masks increased, the accused – as alleged – proposed to import 50,000 units from Germany at an assumed cost of 0.80 euros each, which they would resell at 1.20 euros each. The farmer seems to have been convinced by paying the money in cash, but the “investment” soon turned out to be a scam.
A second aspect of the complaint concerned the farmer’s participation in the real estate market – “fillet” in Thessaloniki which should be resold to an interested buyer, generating a large profit for investors. The farmer was convinced again and paid 20 thousand euros as an advance for the alleged purchase of the property, but soon realized that and that investment was a mistake.
For the same case a lawyer also became a defendant which, due to its status, was referred for trial at the Thessaloniki Single Court of Criminal Appeal (special trial).
The defendant who was convicted by the Misdemeanors Court in his defense denied the act, renouncing his responsibilities.