For the past two years crisis-hit Greek citizens have seen their lives ruined as measure after measure is being passed in return for IMF “help”. This “help” translates to countless new taxes and salary reductions. This “help” is responsible for the new Greek underclass that is evident in every little corner of Athens; evident in the homeless, the hungry, the drug addicts and the psychiatric patients ejected from institutions and shelters that can no longer offer them a place. Evident in the tens of thousands of shop owners forced to close because they simply can’t afford to pay all these crazy taxes and in the pensioners who are forced to survive on less than 400 a month and forage through municipal rubbish bins.
You would have thought that in this situation, the “sacrifices” Greek citizens make at least go towards the right direction. But as it turns out, Greeks are starving themselves for no reason. It turns out that one of the most controversial taxes, the property tax or “χαράτσι”, instead of going to the pockets of the Greek state, has been pocketed by two Greek “businessmen” and travelled all the way to…Switzerland.
How Two Thirty-Year-Olds “Changed the Lights” to The Greek Government
According to Thema newspaper, the bosses of two of Greece’s biggest alternative power suppliers, Energa and Hellas Power, literally “αλλαξανε τα φώτα” (Greek slang expression for changing the lights, aka harming and taking advantage of) of the Greek State as instead of remitting the property tax by the electricity bills to the state, they preferred to pocket the money – more than 120 million Euros – and send it to… Switzerland! Behind this incredible story are two thirty year-old young entrepreneurs with different origins. The 33 year-old Energa boss, Mr. Aristides Floros, and the 31 year old Hellas Power boss, Vassilis Milionis.
The “Killer” With The Family Tradition in Energy
Aristides, or Aris, or the “killer” for those who know him well, has studied in London Trading Electricity and Natural Gas. His last name has been known in the Greek Energy sector since the early ’90s as his father used his connections with the Mitsotakis government to try to bring the company Tractebel to build the first private plant power. However his plans never materialized as there were fierce reactions from the opposing political parties and the unions.
Cass Business School, Political Connections and Expensive Cars
31 year-old Vassilis Milionis is clearly less known in the Greek energy sector, but famous in the celeb hotspots of Kolonaki and Psychico. His appearance in Armani suits driving a Porsche, often caused a debate as to how he actually managed to have such an expensive lifestyle at such a young age.
Some attributed his lavish lifestyle to his close friendship with a current New Democracy deputy and oldest son of one of the most powerful party members of the Karamanlis government. His mother, Mrs. Ria Milioni, owned a transport company and had very close connections with the Mitsotakis government in the ‘90s.
Mr. Milionis has studied Business Administration at the City University of London and holds an MSc in Energy, Trade and Finance from Cass Business School in London. He worked in Clarksons London, Oil and Gas Trading Department as well as in Teletrans Group of Companies as managing director.
In Greece, his company first appeared as “Blue Energy”. He had actually bought a large piece of land in the Agioi Theodoroi area to build a power plant that would operate only during peak hours. However, Tina Birbili, then Minister of Energy, withdrew the provision of the relevant energy bill as she assessed it as photographic for preferential pricing of energy, so they factory was never built.
Black Money and The Greek Dream
If someone were looking for a symbol of the excesses that led to the country’s financial crisis, they need look no further than the stereotype of Mr. Milionis and Mr. Floros, who basically impersonate the Greek dream for the past couple of decades: expensive studies at prestigious Business schools in London, designer clothes, expensive cars, connections at high places and over-the-top entertainment in Bouzoukia, clubs and restaurants in Athens’ posh suburbs. Needless to say that this lifestyle is almost always based on easy credit and untaxed money. And needless to say that people like Mr. Milionis and Mr. Floros along with corrupted politicians are basically the main reason Greece is on the brink of bankruptcy . So maybe it’s time that the IMF and the EU drop their obsession with reducing Greece’s €750 monthly minimum wage or eliminating the two-month salary bonus granted to private sector workers, and apply policies that fight corruption and tax evasion, for it is the only way they will actually get their money back.
(Sources: Thema, Ethnos)
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