Extra time in army for draft-dodging singer
A popular Greek singer will have to serve an extra six months in the army after it was discovered that he used forged medical papers to avoid his military service, the Defense Ministry said yesterday. It was revealed that Chrisovalantis Avgenikos, commonly known as Valantis, had cited health reasons for not serving in the army but a military investigation found that he had used someone else’s medical documents as evidence. The singer will have to face draft-dodging charges before an Athens military court. He will start his military service in February and has to serve 18 months instead of 12 because of his offense. In October, TV actor Christoforos Papakaliatis faced the same punishment for a similar offense. The military is also set to launch an investigation to find out if anyone colluded with the singer in the process and will continue checks on all health exemptions since 1997.
