Panagopoulos Case: Siblings, Deputy Head, and Firm with 48% of GSEE Funds

A journalist, two siblings, the deputy head of the Independent Authority for the Market, and the owner of two companies are implicated—according to Greece’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority—in the Panagopoulos case centered on Giannis Panagopoulos, President of the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE). Collectively, they allegedly misappropriated €73 million in EU and national funds. At least €2.1 million reportedly changed hands without legal justification or delivered services. The scheme allegedly began with Panagopoulos, who made direct awards to training contractors—including firms lacking infrastructure or qualified staff. He and five other individuals, alongside six specific companies, are accused of repeated, professional embezzlement against the Greek state and the EU. Several implicated firms were newly created by Panagopoulos’s close associates and lacked capacity to execute assigned programs. One such firm, founded in 2019 with 97% ownership by an associate and 3% by his spouse, derived 48% of its revenue from GSEE’s Institute of Employment. In 2024, another suspect launched a cybersecurity firm that quickly entered into cooperation with GSEE. The scandal has expanded rapidly, prompting the resignation of Deputy Head Anna Stratina of the Independent Authority and the leave-of-absence of an ERT journalist linked to the case. Notably, Stratina’s husband is also implicated.