Tsochatzopoulos taken to Korydallos prison

Page last updated at 03:56 GMT, Tuesday, April 17, 2012 - 08:56 EST

AMNA - Former Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos on Tuesday was sent to Korydallos prison following an examining magistrate's and prosecutor's order that he be remanded in custody pending trial.

Later Tsochatzopoulos' accountant Efrossyni Lambropoulou will be remanded in custody by decision of the examining magistrate and prosecutor, after the conclusion of her testimony on Wednesday for her involvement in the case of money laundering.

Tsochatzopoulos was remanded in custody on Orthodox Easter Monday after appearing before examining magistrate Gabriel Mallis to answer to charges of money laundering, specifically of kickbacks that he received in order to approve the purchase of the TOR-M1 missile systems and submarines for the Greek Navy.

Tsochatzopoulos had begun his testimony at noon on Monday and was questioned on a memorandum he delivered to the magistrate.

Sources said the former minister under successive PASOK governments had denied the charges against him concerning the armaments contracts, noting that these were approved by the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA), while he has reserved the right to present his defense concerning the TOR-M1 case at a later date.

The chief prosecutor's decision also concerns the bank accounts that belong to Asterios Economidis, who has been in custody since Thursday after testifying before an examining magistrate. Economidis is the major shareholder of a construction company that did renovation work at the former minister's luxurious house on Dionyssios Areopagitis Street and sold an apartment to Tsochatzopoulos' daughter located in Athens' Kolonaki district.