Athens Administrative Court vindicates the Greek government in its long legal battle with the German Hochtief on the issue of the scandal which had erupted on withholding tax. As a result the Greek authorities will be able to claim from them 600 million euro for tax that was not attributed as should to the Greek state over the last 20 years for the Eleftherios Venizelos airport.

For many, this judgment brings the German “giant” to be one of the biggest debtors and tax evaders in Greece. By adding up even more financial debts for example to pension funds, the total amount that Hochtief owes touches the 1 million euro.

It is worth noting, that if the German company had paid on time the money for the Eleftherios Venizelos airport back in the days of its supremacy, a big part of the memorandum could have been avoided, like the 400 million from the cut offs of the annual salaries and pensions of the Greek citizens.

However, until now the exact amount of the debt remains incalculable, as the IRS for 2013 has not yet been counted. The recovery can be made by regulating the gains of the airport (arrivals this year recorded an increase of 25%).

To date, the Greek government has not pursued any recovery measures and seizures, as would have done with any Greek citizen who withholds VAT.