Among the 22 people arrested is Pizza Fan owner Konstantinos Antaras, at whose villa police discovered more than €1 million in cash and jewellery hidden in a secret room. A total of 126 people are implicated in the case.

The suspects arrested in connection with an alleged criminal organisation linked to Pizza Fan, accused of failing to pay €25 million in VAT to the Greek state, were transferred to the Evelpidon court complex in Athens on Friday.

Among those arrested is Pizza Fan owner Konstantinos Antaras, whose villa was found to contain a hidden room where police discovered more than €1 million in cash and jewellery. A further €400,000 was recovered during searches of the homes and offices of other suspects.

So far, 22 people have been arrested, while a total of 126 individuals are named in the case file.

The ‘golden’ algorithm

The investigation began following a complaint alleging underpayment of social security contributions.

According to information obtained by protothema.gr, the whistleblower, a former employee of the company, approached the Financial Prosecutor’s Office several months ago and alleged that both franchise outlets and company-owned stores were declaring fewer working hours than their employees actually worked, in order to reduce social security contributions.

Investigators subsequently examined allegations of VAT evasion through specialised software, uncovering what authorities believe was a sophisticated mechanism for concealing sales.

According to evidence gathered by police, the company’s order management system, which processed orders placed by telephone and through its website, allowed certain transactions to be completed without issuing a legally required receipt, using a specially designed algorithm.

The proportion of transactions for which receipts were not issued reportedly reached 20%, while the system was overseen by the company’s accounting department in Chalandri, a northern suburb of Athens.

More specifically, the central company forwarded orders to individual outlets. When transactions were finalised at the till, alongside the usual options of “Cash”, “Card” and “Cancel”, selected orders displayed an additional option labelled “complimentary receipt”.

The algorithm activated this option only when three conditions were met: the order did not exceed €40, payment was made in cash, and the food was delivered or collected as a takeaway.

No receipt was issued for these transactions. However, the orders remained recorded in the central system, allegedly allowing members of the organisation to monitor actual turnover and distribute the illicit proceeds.

Investigators believe the mechanism enabled the alleged network to conceal substantial revenue while maintaining an internal record of its real sales.