In early November 2023, Greek daily Documento (https://www.documentonews.gr/) publisher, Kostas Vaxevanis (Κώστας Βαξεβάνης), born 1966, and journalist Vangelis Triantis (Βαγγέλης Τριάντης) were summoned as “suspects” in a criminal investigation related to their investigative reporting.
The investigation, initiated by the Prosecutor’s Office in Athens, Greece focuses on a potential breach of official secrecy stemming from Documento’s February 2023 publication. This publication revealed details from an audit report. The report scrutinized numerous contracts signed by state officials during the Covid 19 pandemic, uncovering a purported two-million-euro loss for the state. The actions of a government official were initially under scrutiny due to a lawsuit filed by opposition MPs.
The case was transferred to prosecutor, who then forwarded it to a criminal court for statements. Vaxevanis and Triantis are scheduled to testify on 9 November 2023, with the judge deciding whether to bring misdemeanor charges against them.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is monitoring this case.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non-profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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