Monarchy may have been abolished in Greece since 1974, but apparently blue bloods still have the power to pull some strings and get what their want in this country, even if it means breaking the law.
Dubbed the Greek ‘Riviera’, the town of Porto Heli in the prefecture of Argolida, on the eastern side of the Peloponnese is reinventing itself to rival Monaco, thanks to its luxurious hotels and cosmopolitan atmosphere.
However, it seems that the Greek law has no power in this area, where members of royal families are allowed to break the law, with no repercussions.
Two such cases have come to public attention thanks to Proto Thema’s report and involve the private properties of former King Constantine II of Greece and Willem-Alexander, the King of the Netherlands.
Ex- King Constantine recently bought a villa in the St. Aimiliano region of Porto Heli, right next to a mansion belonging to stockbroker Nick Devletoglou who had achieved some notoriety during the Siemens scandal.
An investigation by Proto Thema two weeks ago revealed that the mansion was procured at 5 million euros from Lebanese businessman Marc Soursock, even though real estate agents value the property’s real worth at twice that amount. It is said that this purchase may have resulted in the delay in the ex-king’s former plans to construct a 40-acre “palace” worth 1.5 million euros at the Gialeza region, close to the island of Spetses, Porto Heli and Hermione.
However, new information has emerged in regard to this mansion, whose previous owner saw fit to close the road leading to the beach using barbed wire, in order to prevent locals from “bothering” him. He was also responsible for several other construction violations in the mansion, which the new owner of the house, Constantine, doesn’t seem eager to correct as they are a means to ensure the much sought after privacy.
As for Willem-Alexander, the King of the Netherlands, the ministerial decree that allowed him to built a private dock close to his mansion for “the public interest” probably made him think he is above the law: He recently placed illegal signs on the road that lead to his house prohibiting the passage of pedestrians and vehicles near his home.
