https://arisa-project.eu/ PROFESSOR ‘FAKELAKIS’ Greece CONTENTS Section One Key facts of the case Section Two Applicable law This document was funded by the European Union’s Justice Section Three Programme (2014-2020) Criminal proceedings The content of this document represents the views of the authors only and is their sole Section Four responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any Disclosure of information responsibility for use that may be made of the information it Section Five contains. Media coverage Section Six Impact on the suspect or accused person and on the general public Immediately the owners of the frontistirio and Key facts of the K.K. were arrested; in their possession was found 178.000 euro cash and 140.000 euro in case remittances in countries abroad. The prosecutor pressed charges for felonies (Proto thema, Romina Xyda and Katerina Faka, 9/10/2018, "28 The accused, Kleanthis Konstantinoudis years of sexual harassments: the… Weinstein of (hereafter K.K.), aged 60, is a teaching professor Serres with the wig"). at the Technical Educational Institution (TEI) of Serres (a town in Northern Greece) at the In Greece when you give money to a public Department of Management and Accounting official in order to have some gain, the responsible for 6 lessons. He also has a private expression is used that you give “a small accounting office in Thessaloniki where his envelope” (where you place the money), which in permanent address is. Greek is called “fakelaki”. This is where the nickname “professor fakelakis” came from. From At the beginning of 2018 a complaint was the day of his arrest this has been nearly the only submitted to the Ombudsman and was name that is used by the media to refer to K.K. forwarded to the Ministry of Education. According to the Ombudsman’s document, students either gave money to K.K. in order to pass the lessons or were forced to follow practice in certain accounting offices without remuneration (Star.gr, 1/8/2019, "The professor of TEI of Serres was Applicable law released 10 months after his arrest"). On February 2018 the competent department of the The offences for which criminal proceedings Ministry of Education forwarded the above against K.K. were instigated are a) passive bribery document to the TEI of Serres and the competent of a public servant by profession (art. 235 Penal prosecutor. The prosecutor ex oficcio ordered Code, PC) and b) extortion by profession (art. 385 the Department of Internal Affairs of the Hellenic PC). Police to investigate the case. On May 2018 the police started collecting evidence from the TEI of Punishment for passive bribery by profession is Serres and they set up an operation to imprisonment up to 10 years and monetary apprehend the suspects. Apart from K.K. there sentence of 10.000 to 100.000 euro (art. 235 were two more suspects investigated by the para 1 PC). If the offender is convicted for the police. The owners of a private school for aggravated circumstance of para 2 art. 235 PC students (frontistirio) where students were taking (the act was against his/her duties) then the classes to pass the lessons of the TEI: Georgios punishment is imprisonment of up to 15 years Mokkas and Evaggelia Milofski. According to the and monetary sentence of 15.000 to 150.000 police investigation it seemed that the money was euro. paid at the frontistirio for classes the students never took and then K.K. was informed to give For extortion by profession the punishment is them a pass grade at the exams. The tariff for imprisonment up to 10 years (art. 385 PC). each lesson was from 250 to 400 euro. In order to apprehend the suspects ‘in the act’, the police One of the offenders was apprehended 'in the "incorruptible" marked the banknotes and a act' but since the offences were felonies the student paid Giorgos Mokkas for lessons he procedure followed is the main investigation. never took at the frontistirio. Sources: Lifo, 2/10/2018, "The TEI professor who asked for "fakelakia" had a past - the complaints for sexual exchanges”. NEWSIT, 3/10/2018, Theodosis Panou, "The passionate 'professor fakelakis' with the wig! Unbelievable complaints about his actions at the TEI of Serres". Proto thema, Romina Xyda and Katerina Faka, 9/10/2018, "28 years of sexual harassments: the… Weinstein of Serres with the wig". Star.gr, 1/8/2019, "The professor of TEI of Serres was released 10 months after his arrest". Following the prosecution of K.K. by the public never took. The police arrested Giorgos Mokkas prosecutor of Serres, the case file was forwarded ‘in the act’ on 1 October 2018 and at the same to the investigating judge for a full investigation of day K.K. and the third suspects were arrested. In the case for all three offenders (art. 246 Code of the searches that followed in the houses, offices Penal Procedure, CPP). etc of the suspects the police seized and confiscated 178.000 euro cash, 15 bank deposit In parallel to the penal procedure the law booklets and remittances and transference of provides for disciplinary punishment in case the 140.000 euro to a foreign bank, 15 mobile offender holds public office or is a civil servant. As phones, personal computers, discs and portable teachers at tertiary education in Greece are data storage units (Press release by the Police permanent public servants, the TEI of Serres had reproduced in Newsbomb, 2/10/2018, "Professor the competence to initiate disciplinary at TEI of Serres was asking for 'mizes' (money) and proceedings as it actually did (see below under sex to give pass grade to the students at the exams"). section 3). The next day K.K. and his alleged accomplices were brought in front of the prosecutor who initiated criminal proceedings and pressed charges against all 3 suspects as mentioned Criminal above. Subsequently the case file was forwarded to the investigating judge for the initiation of the proceedings main investigation (art. 246 CPP). Following the apology of K.K. at the investigating judge which was scheduled for 5 October 2018, At the beginning of 2018 the Ombudsman he was remanded in custody by order of the forwarded a complaint against K.K., which investigating judge with the agreement of the students of TEI of Serres had submitted in prosecutor. November 2017, to the Ministry of Education. The competent department of the Ministry on After his pre-trial imprisonment at Nigrita Prison, February 2018 sent the complaint to the TEI and K.K. appointed on 8/10/2018 legal counsel Mr. the competent prosecutor of Serres. The Alexis Kougias, a well known Athenian criminal prosecutor ex officio ordered the Department of lawyer who is also well familiarised with the media Internal Affairs of the Hellenic Police to and publicity. On the same day Mr. Kougias issued investigate the case (anexartitos.gr, 3/10/2018, a press release giving information about the line "Who were 'feeding' the professor accused of of defence (see below section 4). 'taking money' at the TEI of Serres?". NEWSIT, On 18/12/2018 K.K. applied to the investigating 3/10/2018, Theodosis Panou, "The passionate judge of Serres for the repeal of pre-trial 'professor fakelakis' with the wig! Unbelievable detention or its substitution with restrictive complaints about his actions at the TEI of Serres", conditions (Art. 286 CCP). His application was Star.gr, 1/8/2019, "The professor of TEI of Serres was rejected. released 10 months after his arrest"). The defendant appealed against the decision of The police investigation with the supervision of the investigating judge not to repeal or substitute the prosecutor was initiated on May 2018. remand detention to the Judicial Council of Appeal Collection of evidence started from the TEI of at Thessaloniki. The Council granted his release Serres. After 5 months the police set up an on 1/8/2019 after 10 months of pre-trial operation to apprehend the suspects, with the detention at Nigrita Prison. cooperation of a student: the "incorruptible" marked the banknotes and the student gave it to The case file is still at the investigating judge and Giorgos Mokkas for lessons at the frontistirio he Sources: Aftodioikisi.gr, 8/10/2018 "Kougias for professor ‘fakelaki’: Publication of his data was illegal.” Newsroom iefimerida.gr, 8/10/2018 "Kougias for professor 'fakelaki': Two people from TEI Serron are hiding behind the case". Anexartitos, 24/1/2020, "Disciplinary proceedings: Towards a permanent dismissal professor "Fakelakis" - The outcomes of the sworn administrative procedure (EDE) are also pending". the investigation is pending until today until the final adjudication of the court and wait (Anexartitos, 24/1/2020, "Disciplinary proceedings: for the termination of the penal trial Towards a permanent dismissal professor "Fakelakis" (SerraikaNea.gr, 18/10/2020, “Definite dismissal of - The outcomes of the sworn administrative professor ‘fakelakis’ of the former TEI of Serres”, procedure (EDE) are also pending"). Anexartitos, 24/1/2020, "Disciplinary proceedings: Towards a permanent dismissal professor "Fakelakis" Disciplinary proceedings - The outcomes of the sworn administrative Following K.K.’s prosecution, the Senate of the TEI procedure (EDE) are also pending"). of Central Macedonia decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the professor. A decision was also taken to give beforehand the Senate's assent to the Ministry of Education for him to abstain from his lessons until the final Disclosure of penal court decision. Finally the Senate decided that the educational institution will be present at the trial as civil plaintiff in order to restore the information moral damage that the institution had suffered.