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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Posted on 01/22/2003 3:57:17 PM PST by knighthawk
Some of Greece's richest men are believed to have paid large sums to be kept off the hit list of the terrorist group November17.
They are said to include the family of Gianna Angelopoulos, organiser of the 2004 Athens Olympics, and Yiannis Latsis, a shipowner.
The blackmail came to light when Ms Angelopoulos's husband, Theodore, gave the Prime Minister, Costas Simitis, an extract from the diary of his uncle Dimitris, who was murdered by the gang in 1986.
Mr Simitis, who regards the arrest of domestic terrorists before the Games as a priority, sent it to the judiciary.
This week some of the biggest names in Greek banking and commerce are expected to appear before a public prosecutor as the investigation begins, most of them thought to have been been held to ransom by November17, which was cracked last year.
Dimitris Angelopoulos's note allegedly says he was approached in 1985 by the Athenian publisher of an extreme right-wing newspaper who claimed to have access to November17 and said he could get his name removed from its list, for a fee. The publisher, Grigoris Michalopoulos, denies the accusation.
Ms Angelopoulos, who was in Berlin on Monday to discuss the safety of the Olympics with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, is expected to give evidence to a public prosecutor soon.
Many rich Greeks have implied that they gave thousands of dollars to buy protection but none has so far admitted it openly.
Last summer, 19 suspected members of November17 were arrested after a botched bomb attack, and there is speculation that more will be detained soon.
November 17 appeared in 1975 with a series of political assassinations, including of American and Turkish diplomats and military personnel and prominent judges. In the mid-'80s it added wealthy businessmen to it targets.
Five of its 23 victims were shipowners and businessmen. Many more had lucky escapes.
"A lot of us had heard we were on the hit list and were too scared to even visit Greece," a magnate who lives in Geneva said. "Ultimately it was very bad for Greece, because we stopped investing there."
The 19 suspected November17 members go on trial in early March.
It is now likely that many wealthy Greeks will give evidence when the hearings in the Korydallos high security prison in Athens begin.
If people want on or off this list, please let me know.
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Wouldn't they first have to pay large sums of money to "November 17th?"
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