Μake us preferred on Google Konstantinos Antaras, owner of Greek pizza chain Pizza Fan, has been ordered held in pretrial detention following questioning in an investigation into alleged large-scale tax evasion.
His second-in-command, described by authorities as a deputy leader of the group under investigation, was placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring. Six other people arrested in the case were released subject to restrictions and financial guarantees of up to €6,000 each.
Questioning of the remaining five defendants was expected to continue into the early hours of Wednesday.
Pizza Fan owner denies charges
Antaras spent approximately two hours answering questions before an investigating magistrate. According to reports, he denied the allegations and said he was prepared to immediately settle any debts ultimately assessed as payable to the state, even before the case reached a final judgment.
The investigation concerns the concealment of €25 million. Antaras argued that the case involved violations of tax law rather than a criminal organization.
“It is unfair to characterize a group of people who have built a successful business as a criminal organization,” he said in his statement to the magistrate. He pointed to the company’s workforce of more than 2,500 people, annual payroll costs of €36 million, and payments of €15 million in value-added tax (VAT) and other taxes, as well as tens of millions of euros paid to suppliers.
Antaras also acknowledged that he knew some store owners were illegally using a practice known as kerasma, or treating customers, but argued that the company’s centralized ordering system allowed it to monitor store revenues.
“I knew there was illegal use of the ‘treat’ practice by store owners,” he said. He added that the company’s share of revenue depended on the amounts each store declared.
Deputy says he opposed the practice
The deputy leader gave a different account of his position on the kerasma practice, saying he was aware of the process but had opposed it and had made his objections known.
The two defendants’ statements indicate different approaches to the practice at the center of the investigation.
Store closures leave employees worried
The case has also raised concerns among Pizza Fan employees, particularly in Thessaloniki, where seven outlets have closed. More than 150 workers have been left uncertain about their jobs, prompting dozens of employees to hold a protest outside the Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace.
Deputy Labor Minister Kostas Karagounis told ERTnews that Pizza Fan’s employment contracts remained in force and had not been terminated. He also said there was no order to shut down the business.
The company remains responsible for paying employees’ wages, social insurance contributions and other obligations, Karagounis said, adding that payroll was due to be paid at the end of the month.
