Lignadis put in pre-trial detention
Prominent actor and director Dimitris Lignadis has been put in pre-trial detention over charges of repeatedly sexually molesting underage boys.
The decision was announced around 2 a.m. Friday after a marathon 4-hour testimony during which Lignadis denied the allegations against him.
“I have never expressed an erotic-sexual interest in underage individuals, nor have I ever had any erotic-sexual contact with any underage individual, with or without their consent,” the former artistic director of the prestigious Greek National Theater said in a lengthy memo submitted to an investigative magistrate Thursday.
In the 27-page memo, he dismissed the charges against him as “lies” and claimed that the allegations have been “fabricated” by the board of the Greek Actors’ Guild in retaliation for criticism from Lignadis over how it runs the association and handles its finances.
“These people have envied me since the start of my career,” he said.
