Fresh and shocking revelations have emerged about the “Paidiki Chara” (Children’s Playground) NGO, which is accused of large-scale fraud and embezzling millions of euros in donations intended for sick children.

According to a report by Alpha TV, the 35-year-old partner of the organisation’s founder, who has been remanded in custody, specifically targeted paediatric oncology hospitals. There, she identified and approached the parents of children with serious health problems, focusing mainly on those facing the greatest financial difficulties.

According to the report, the 35-year-old woman would tell them that she ‘knew’ an NGO, before calling her partner and saying: ‘Mr President, I have a family here that is suffering. Please help them!’

On some occasions, the parents were also told that the organisation would arrange a fundraiser as a precaution, in case the treating doctors decided that the child needed to be sent abroad. In the end, to avoid legal complications, the parents were asked to sign documents confirming that they had received the money raised through the fundraiser, when in reality they were given only a few crumbs to cover their expenses.

‘The president’s wife approached us. She was very caring and cried with us. At one point, she posted about our child, marking the post as urgent, without asking us. I politely asked her to take it down because we did not need money. She then told us: “If your child needs to go abroad, money will be needed. Where will you find it then?”’ the mother of a four-year-old told Alpha TV. The woman had been approached at Agrinio Hospital.

It is worth noting that, in connection with this case, the NGO’s former president, who is accused in the case, had spoken to a local media outlet, saying, among other things, that the association had decided the child was in need of assistance. He said that all money paid into the account was exclusively for that child and that it was very important for people to know that even the one euro they donated would go towards helping them.

‘Just transfer the money and let’s get this over with – don’t drag it out any longer’

Meanwhile, a conversation between Konstantinos Firinidis, who is accused in the ‘Children’s Playground’ NGO case, and a donor has also shed light on how the organisation allegedly operated.

In an audio recording made public by Mega TV’s Live News programme, Konstantinos Firinidis can be heard speaking to a donor and pressing him to make a bank transfer.

The case reportedly began when a couple decided to organise a charity event to raise money for a sick child through the ‘Children’s Playground’ NGO. However, the involvement of cultural associations in organising the event appears to have delayed the transfer of the money by around 15 days. According to the allegations, this prompted strong dissatisfaction from the NGO’s owner, who allegedly demanded in an insistent and aggressive tone that the amount be deposited into the bank account immediately.

‘You’ve been wearing me down a bit with this whole thing. Blah, blah, blah, the same things over and over. Just transfer the money and let’s get this over with, because you’ve worn me out. I’m telling you honestly. Transfer the money and stop making excuses. You’re not going to save yourselves with €1,000. You have nothing else to tell me, and I have a lot of work to do. I’m at the office; I can’t spend all day talking about this. I mean, we’ve dragged this matter on long enough,’ Konstantinos Firinidis can be heard saying.

The exchange between Firinidis and the donor

Firinidis: ‘We’re wasting our time saying the same things over and over again for so many days. Transfer the money and let’s get this over with. Let’s not drag it out any longer.’

Donor: ‘Look, they will get it. It’s just that there’s a procedure to follow. If I were handling it as [name], the money would go straight into the IBAN the next day. These associations here have a different procedure; I don’t know how it works. I’ve never been involved with dance associations.’

Firinidis: ‘Then they shouldn’t be making promises, mate. She sits there telling the mother [of the sick child], “Kostas is the problem and the two of us should have handled it ourselves.” I won’t leave anything to chance, because I’m very stubborn when someone pushes me too far. I won’t allow myself to be both the one who gets cheated on and the one who gets beaten up.’

Konstantinos Firinidis is expected to give his defence on Thursday, while his partner, Vasiliki Manisioti, was remanded in custody following her own defence statement. In her testimony, she placed the blame on Firinidis for the sums allegedly embezzled, describing him as a man addicted to gambling.

Since Saturday, the defendants have faced felony charges, as applicable, of fraud committed jointly and repeatedly, both completed and attempted; embezzlement; money laundering involving proceeds of criminal activity, allegedly committed professionally, jointly and individually; bribery and acceptance of bribes to manipulate the outcome of a sporting event; and participation in a criminal group.