The moment of reckoning has come for Stefanos Kasselakis concerning the issue that arose regarding his asset declaration. Mr. Kasselakis has been referred to trial before the Athens Single-Member Misdemeanor Court to face misdemeanor charges related to a breach of the asset declaration law.

His referral to trial follows the conclusion of a criminal investigation conducted by the Athens First Instance Prosecutor’s Office after the March 2024 revelation of documents concerning the existence of a company in the United States, linked to the then-leader of SYRIZA. The purpose of the investigation was to determine whether potential violations of the asset declaration law had occurred, as the law prohibits party leaders from owning companies abroad.

Notably, the publication of these documents occurred amid a controversy sparked by the dismissal of SYRIZA’s financial director. At that time, it became known that the party had borrowed from the aforementioned company to meet the financial needs of its employees.

Furthermore, during the preliminary inquiry conducted on this matter by the First Instance Prosecutor, D. Nomikos, Mr. Kasselakis was summoned to provide explanations as a suspect. According to reports, he claimed he was unaware of the specific prohibition.

Criminal Charges Filed
Following the conclusion of the investigation, the prosecution filed criminal charges against the former SYRIZA leader for violating the law on the declaration and auditing of the financial assets of Members of Parliament.

It should be noted that, according to the provisions of Law 3213/2003, Article 8, paragraphs 1 and 3, as amended by Law 5026/2023, “The Prime Minister, leaders of political parties represented in the National or European Parliament, and those receiving state funding, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Members of Parliament, Members of the European Parliament, and those managing the finances of the aforementioned political parties, General and Special Secretaries of Parliament and General Government, Regional Governors, and Mayors are prohibited from participating in the management or capital of companies with a real or registered headquarters abroad, either directly or through intermediaries.”