An inspection of a central Athens restaurant by food authorities found expired cheese and meat products in the kitchen only hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin and Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis dined there.

Authorities said yesterday they have issued charges against the manager of the Dionysos restaurant, a well-known eatery in Athens, next to the Acropolis, which hosted a Wednesday night dinner for Karamanlis, Putin and Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev.

Hellenic Food Authority officials found that the kitchen was stocked with cheese croquettes and beef that were well past the expiry date. A total of 23 kilos of beef and 5 kilos of frozen cheese croquettes were confiscated.

Sources said that restaurants scheduled to host dinners for Karamanlis and foreign leaders are routinely checked.

Government officials added that the food served at Wednesday’s dinner had been exclusively supplied by the prime minister’s personal staff and not the restaurant’s kitchen.