By Penelope Galliou

Stefanos Kasselakis’ “where are you from” statement shortly before the end of the pre-election period and the opening of the ballot box next Sunday is developing into a major issue of political controversy.

Fulfilling – in part according to government officials – the commitment that he will make public the declaration of his financial situation, the president of SYRIZA during his speech in Thessaloniki, presented on a giant screen elements of his “whereabouts”, provoking new reactions and questions about the consequences of actions resulting from them.

Government sources, shortly after the end of Stefanos Kasselakis’ speech in Thessaloniki, commented that the president of SYRIZA proceeded to admit criminal offences. “He admits to committing criminal offences, as on 12/31 he participated in 3 foreign companies, while he should have resigned in November, two months after assuming his duties” they said, giving new dimensions to the conflict that has erupted between the government and SYRIZA for the time of the filing and publication of the statement “where are you from” by the president of SYRIZA, but also raising issues that need further investigation, by the auditing authorities of the declarations of assets.

And the fact that the document presented by the president of SYRIZA, according to the announcement of the government representative, does not constitute a declaration of assets, the government accuses Mr. Kasselakis of having avoided providing information, while he is also citing a violation of the relevant legislation.

“He admits that he violated the law, since until at least 31.12.2023 he was involved in a foreign company, while he was elected president of SYRIZA from September 2023, in violation of the 2016 law that the government of Alexis Tsipras had passedy” said Pavlos Marinakis in his statement and added: “In his attempt, in fact, to avoid giving the proof of origin, a procedure with specific supporting documents, as prescribed by law, Stefanos Kasselakis presented his deposits, as well as his husband’s, his incomes, he registered the holdings in 3 companies, as well as the properties it owns. He also revealed that the information is not complete, throwing the ball on the stage, after he appeared to declare that he will file everything when he receives it from the competent US authorities, when, as he said, they are sent to him by the Revenue Service, the well-known IRS“.

It is noted that the Stefanos Kasselakisamong his income, deposits, real estate and other assets, he reported holdings in the following companies:

  • To Sole Proprietorship “OSIOS LLC” $500,000.00
  • As a limited partner in “PURA VITA E.E” 15,000.00 €
  • To “TIPTREE MARINE” $211,090.00
  • “OSIOS LLC” is even alleged to be the company with which he loaned SYRIZA to pay for the 2023 Christmas gifts and as he said “was transferred at the beginning of 2024” when he learned that he is not allowed, by law, to have a stake to a foreign company.

In addition to the assets he chose to make public, Stefanos Kasselakis in Thessaloniki presented a second table, in which he attempts to compare his own incomes in 2023 with those of Kyriakos Mitsotakis in 2021, while during his speech he invited the prime minister that he should also present his data for 2023 “now, before the European elections. Let’s know how many more properties were added to his property monopoly” he said characteristically.

A challenge that led to the angry reaction of the government representative who spoke of lies and vulgar slander. “Regarding his lies and gross slander about the Prime Minister’s assets, we inform him for the umpteenth time that the Prime Minister has been scrutinized for the past 20 years, during the days of so many different Governments, by filing a full statement of assets as required by law and not single page excel” noted Mr. Marinakis, speaking at the same time about a show by Stefanos Kasselakis from which “more questions arise than we have had so far, the main one being the following:

Is Mr. Kasselakis living such a luxurious life with loans or is he hiding something?

Let him answer them himself.

Next Sunday, June 9, the citizens will give another resounding answer. The country will not go back to the days when apprentice sorcerers played our fortunes at dice,” concluded the government spokesman’s statement.