New twist on late PM’s villa
A man who bought an Athens villa from former Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou 13 years ago must return the building to the late politician’s four children, as their father had no right to sell it, a court ruled yesterday. An Athens appeals court found that the Neo Psychico villa, which Haralambos Vlachoutsikos bought for 72 million drachmas (211,300 euros) in 1991, had not been Papandreou’s to sell. The building had been given to George, Sofia, Nikos and Andreas Papandreou Junior by their grandmother, in a will they made public after the sale. A lower court ruled in January 2003 that Sofia, Nikos and Andreas – who sued Vlachoutsikos – should have contested the sale long ago, and that their father sold the villa without knowing about the will. Vlachoutsikos could now sue Papandreou’s widow, Dimitra Liani Papandreou, should an appeal fail. Papandreou had cited the proceeds of the sale to explain how he was able to build a luxurious Ekali villa he shared with Liani-Papandreou, his third wife, until his death in 1996. She now owns that villa.
