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Apostolos Tsochatzopoulos, commonly known by the diminutive form Akis, a former multiple minister from PASOK in a career stretching between 1981 and 2004, sentenced for receiving bribes; known criminals; a popular lawyer; six prison officials; security guards; a terrorist wanted as an accomplice of Nikos Maziotis in a robbery; a police officer arrested as an accomplice of Christodoulos Ksiros, have all participated in a criminal organisation, busted by police on Friday. The investigating magistrate Rea Katsiveli will take over the case, because of its severity.

16 people were arrested on Friday. The group is reported to have included 37 members. According to initial reports, the gang's main activity was planting bombs for extortion purposes under the commission of criminals and terrorists.

According to the testimony of a witness on the case, Akis Tsochatzopoulos was involved in the extortion of Yannis Sbokos, his former close associate and chief secretary of weapons programmes in the Ministry of Defence. Sbokos was sentenced to 16 years in prison for corruption. In the same lawsuit Tsochatzopoulos himself was incarcerated for 20 years.

The extortion was performed in all possible ways, including through the planting of bombs in the houses of Sbokos’ relatives. A witness claims that Tsochatzopoulos bore a grudge against Sbokos because the latter had ‘eaten his money’. According to her, the former minister had told Yannis Skaftouros, an inmate of the Domokos jail, that Sbokos was stinking rich (500 million in gold was mentioned, stashed away in Switzerland).

According to the witness, Tsochatzopoulos had told Skaftouros that, at an unspecified time, Sbokos had received a suitcase containing €10 million, intended for the former defence minister himself, but failed to hand it over to him. Angered by this and seeking retribution, Tsochatzopoulos informed the criminal about Sbokos’ fortune, and possibly gave him the addresses of Sbokos’ sisters.

It is believed that one of the gang members, Panagiotis Vlastos, a Korydallos inmate, had repeatedly met Sbokos in the so-called VIP wing of the prison in 2014. On behalf of Yannis Skaftouros, Vlastos had demanded € 2.7 million. After Sbokos refused to pony up, he was threatened that something could happen to his sisters.

The first bomb went off on April 16, 2014, in front of Sbokos’ house, but since there was no one in the house, the blast failed to scare him into submission. Then Vlastos ordered the planting of an explosive in the house of Sbokos’ sister.

The prosecution has filed charges against the gang members on a number of counts: involvement in an organised criminal group, attempted murder, possession and use of explosives, repeated extortion, money laundering, incitement to the above crimes, active and passive corruption, soliciting bribes, malfeasance in office by prison staff, etc.

"Having dismantled an extortion gang, the Greek police has proven that terrorists and common criminals were in collaboration," emphasised the Minister for Public Order, Vassilis Kikilias, at a press conference. The successful operation of the law enforcers confirmed the overlap between criminals and terrorists, he argued.