New exposures shake once more the Greek Taekwondo scene. The reproaches weigh hard and reach from dubious trips, princely food banquets in expensive restaurants, up to the nepotism, embezzlement and document forgery. The damage should amount supposedly to scarcely over one million euros. In the focus of such reproaches get, among the rest, is also the former Greek Association and acting ETU president, Athanasios Pragalos.
The small Greek investigative magazine „hot dog“ is meanwhile famous and feared to uncover in detail researched scandals. In its edition of 23 June 2016, the magazine attackes the Greek Taekwondo Federation while it publishes extracts of the 230-page report from a State Review Commission that has reviewed the publicly funded behavior of the Greek Taekwondo Association in the years 2002-2006 (Link to the original report).
Dubious calls for tenders and association travelling
Therefore, the large part of the damage should have originated for travel activities of the association. Relevant calls for tender should not have corresponded to the valid legal regulations and have favoured always the same travel agency. A business partner of this travel agency should have been at the same time employee of the Greek association.
Even „travelling“ should have been organised to Athens, for the officials who themselves have already lived in Athens.
Generally there should have been active travel as well as associating expenses accounts, without deposit of necessary travel data and purpose. The commission report, according to „HotDog“, performs in this context the names of the at this period responsible association members. Among other the association president at that time Athanasios Pragalos (current ETU president), the secretary general Michail Fysentzidis (also current ETU secretary general) as well as the secretary general Nikos Thomaidis also at that time (current association president of the HTF and ETU-Council member).
Hires without check and expensive restaurant bills
However not enough. According to the commission report other irregularities were found. Thus association staff was hired, under avoidance of the ASEP. A government agency, which aims to ensure transparent recruitment throughout the public sector and necessarily has to be contacted.
In 2004 (according to the report), 3 people were hired to satisfy association interests, without approval by the ASEP. One of these people is now employed by the ETU.
According to the magazine „hot dog“, the board members mentioned above, also seemed to have been lovers of „good food“. Among other things receipts should have been found, from restaurants of the Athens noble parts which should show no plausible occasion from association view.
The affected board members have meanwhile prompted the damages to be paid back. Presumably this is a legal battle to be drawn about compensation.
The Olympic bonus which was not paid???
In particular the acting ETU president Pragalos appears, according to „HotDog“, in a more than dubious light. On the occasion of the Olympic Games in 2004 the Greek Taekwondo association has decided a bonus of 30,000€ for each of his medal winners. Among others for the silver medal winner Alexandros Nikolaidis. However, Nikolaidis supposedly should never received the money. According to a criminal complaint, which made even by the Greek Federation itself at that time, Athanasios Pragalos should have taken the amount of 30,000€ from the association, to hand this over to Nikolaidis. The money is supposed to not reach Nikolaidis, but should landed in the pocket of Pragalos. The presented signature of Nikolaidis on the receipt, according to the reproach, should have been faked by him.
As the magazine further reports, Athanasios Pragalos has this been found guilty by a court of first instance and was sentenced to a total of 30 months in prison. The judgment, however, is not legally, because of judicial remedies that were filed against it. The following court hearing is still pending.