Stefanos Kasselakis became known nationwide and was elected by 75,000 people for the position of SYRIZA president with a video he released on August 27, 2023, through which he introduced himself to the public.
What was his life story in his own words? He said he grew up in a palace in Ekali amidst wealth granted to him and his brother by their self-made parents, that everything was subsequently lost due to a judicial scandal, and he left at the age of 14 “not out of luxury, but out of necessity” to continue his studies in the USA with a Drakopoulos scholarship.
Afterward, he worked at Goldman Sachs – where he learned, as he said, how to buy others’ labor cheaply – and then, with a loan, founded a shipping company, earning millions in profits “for his investors.” In a party that was floundering, having lost its footing in the previous national elections, this shining life story was duly appreciated.
Very soon, however, journalistic investigation revealed that Stefanos Kasselakis’ autobiography had “holes.” There were “black holes” in his narrative. For instance, the house in Ekali was not seized by any judicial scandal – it was sold the same year the current SYRIZA president left for the USA, and his family deposited about 2 million euros in their bank accounts. With two million euros in the bank, one does not leave for the USA “out of necessity,” no matter how high the cost of living is there. Do voters care about Kasselakis’ answer to this? Obviously – a politician who does not tell the truth about his life, how will he address the citizens’ problems? Has Mr. Kasselakis given any answer to this? None…
Then, there is the “judicial scandal”: He was asked about it on a morning show but avoided answering. However, judicial cases do not close with words, but with judicial documents. And the papers were found by Proto Thema. The “judicial scandal,” therefore, was his father’s business partner. A lawyer – now deceased – accused him of embezzling a significant amount of money, around 700,000 euros. He sued him, took over the shipping paint company through a court decision, and the case was settled in early 2018, shortly after Stefanos Kasselakis became CEO of the shipping company. Everyone knows how settlements for financial cases in courts work. Do voters care if Mr. Kasselakis has told the truth about the judicial matters? Obviously – if he has lied about how the family business was lost, then he will lie about inflation, Greek-Turkish relations, labor issues, social rights, and everything else. Has Mr. Kasselakis given any answer to this? None…
The most interesting aspect, however, is the “tax issue” of Mr. Kasselakis’ father, as Proto Thema delicately put it. How did the “issue” that has reached 11 million euros with interest arise? It arose from the fact that his parents bought the Ekali villa through one of their offshore companies – one of many – and then appeared to… rent it to themselves. Where did the tax authorities find the transaction documents? During a raid on the office of the lawyer – the father’s business partner. Yes, the “judicial scandal” lawyer. What was Stefanos Kasselakis’ answer to this? That his father had been acquitted by the Supreme Court for a tax evasion case – and rightly so. However, the current year’s judicial documents published by Proto Thema about the father’s “issue” are from the Council of State, and the only thing left is a plenary session to determine the fine. Mr. Kasselakis is not responsible for his parents’ actions, but responsibility and truth are different matters, with which he does not have the best relationship.
The above are only three of the many questions arising from Stefanos Kasselakis’ self-narrated life story – without being asked. Proto Thema was one of the few media outlets that scrutinized his narrative – and this bothered the SYRIZA president. He found – or thought he found – a way to force the media to silence by highlighting the issue of Proto Thema’s loan, which was forgiven, etc.
So, the loan – although serviced – was classified as “non-performing” through a government initiative in 2017. It was the era when major media groups like DOL and Pegasus were collapsing, the Tsipras government had full control of systemic – and non-systemic – banks and non-compliant media had to either comply or shut down. This did not happen with Proto Thema: The loan was purchased – and indeed with the lowest “haircut” percentage that the law provided and continues to provide, a provision used by thousands of businesses.
Therefore, Mr. Kasselakis is futile in thinking he can answer “you also had your loan forgiven” to Proto Thema and thus avoid the inconvenient questions about his background. He should look for answers because he will need them at some point, even on morning shows.
