Jailed former minister of defense rebuffs allegations
Sitting behind bars on charges of money laundering during his tenure as Socialist defense minister, Akis Tsochatzopoulos on Wednesday rebuffed fresh findings suggesting he had set up an additional eight companies outside Greece through which to funnel kickbacks from arms sales between 1996 and 2001.
Tsochatzopoulos, who is currently in custody at Korydallos Prison, as is his wife Viki Stamati, on Wednesday denied any connections to offshore firms and rejected the allegations as ?lies and slander.?
The former PASOK heavyweight said the accusations were orchestrated by ?local and outside interests… in a bid to influence public opinion.?