Restis associate charged with abduction, attempted blackmail
An Athens prosecutor on Tuesday filed charges of abduction and attempted blackmail against an ex-associate of shipowner Victor Restis (photo), who has been accused of embezzling funds from First Business Bank, where he was the main shareholder, and is currently in custody.
The charges against Restis’s one-time aide, Anastasios Pallis, were brought after complaints were filed by a British man, Edward Pringle-Stacey.
The latter alleged that he had been hired by Pallis to set up a service to protect Restis’s ships from piracy.
However, Pringle-Stacey came to Athens after Pallis stopped paying him for his services.
The Briton claims he was held against his will at Athens International Airport by three men that were working for Pallis, who tried to get him to sign a document while he was there.
Pallis denies the charges.
