Μake us preferred on Google Greece’s Internal Affairs Service is being asked to investigate whether public employees helped the owner of the Horiatiko bakery chain obtain confidential information and intervene in official procedures, opening a new strand in a sprawling investigation into alleged tax and social security fraud.
According to a MEGA television report cited by TA NEA, the case file is being forwarded to Internal Affairs to examine suspected connections between businessman Angelos Giannakopoulos’s network and officials across several public services.
Giannakopoulos, whose business interests extend beyond bakeries to nightlife venues and other establishments, is among 59 people arrested in the broader case. Investigators estimate that the alleged scheme caused losses exceeding €100 million to the Greek state.
The latest inquiry focuses on whether public employees leaked information about inspections and police activity, provided preferential treatment or intervened in procedures affecting his businesses. The alleged contacts extended to the police, tax authorities, the social security agency EFKA, the Labour Inspectorate, the state property service and local government.
MEGA reported that Giannakopoulos was allegedly warned by someone familiar with the authorities’ movements as investigators closed in on the network. Authorities have yet to establish which individuals were involved and whether their actions constituted criminal offences.
In conversations under examination, contacts were reportedly described as “our people,” “godchildren,” “aunt” and “cousin.” Investigators are examining whether those references identified people who could provide inside information or assistance.
The report also cited allegations by an 80-year-old accountant concerning efforts to reduce the businesses’ tax and social security liabilities through changes to company structures and the replacement of their nominal managers.
Travel Despite a Ban
Investigators are also examining indications that Giannakopoulos travelled abroad despite a ban on leaving Greece imposed in connection with a separate police bribery case.
In a conversation dated April 16, 2026, included in the case file, he says he is in Albania and discusses plans to travel to Dubai, the United States and France.
The separate case concerns allegations that a police officer on Mykonos supplied information about forthcoming inspections. The officer was arrested in summer 2025, and his trial is scheduled to begin on October 30.
The 59 arrested suspects are scheduled to appear before investigating judges in groups on October 29 and 30. The allegations remain subject to judicial examination, and the defendants are presumed innocent.
Background: How the Alleged Scheme Worked
The arrests followed a months-long investigation into businesses linked to Giannakopoulos, including the well-known Horiatiko bakery chain.
As To Vima has previously reported, investigators allege that hundreds of short-lived companies were used to accumulate unpaid taxes and social security contributions. Individuals were allegedly paid to appear as company managers, while the people exercising actual control remained behind the scenes.
Business activity allegedly continued through replacement companies, leaving the earlier entities with debts to the state and EFKA.
Prosecutors have filed charges that vary by defendant and include participation in a criminal organisation, fraud against the state, tax evasion, forgery and money laundering. The Internal Affairs referral concerns the additional question of whether people working within public services helped the alleged network operate.
