Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court upheld the claim of the Justice Ministry to confiscate the assets of Russian-Greek businessman Ivan Savvidis.
In the summer of 2023, the Trap Aggressor project of the StateWatch think tank listed Savvidi among 25 oligarchs whose companies serve the Russian military-industrial complex and whose assets had not yet been confiscated by Ukraine.
Savvidis’ confiscated assets include 100 percent of the corporate shares of PJSC Pentopak, which is one of the leaders in the production of packaging for meat and sausage products, and 100 percent of the corporate rights of its subsidiary Atlantis-Pak Ukraine, Kyiv Independent reports.
Kiriyaki, the wife of Savvidis, is the nominal owner of several companies in Ukraine, although her husband owns the business, the paper says.
Savvidis founded Agrokom Group, which owns meat processing and packing plants, greenhouse facilities, and a sparkling water factory.
Ivan Savvidis and his business empire in Greece
The Russian-Greek businessman and politician is one of Russia’s wealthiest men and was a member of the Russian Parliament, closely linked to President Vladimir Putin. His wealth is valued by Forbes at $1.6 billion.
Savvidis is the founder of Agrocom Group, whose assets included Russian tobacco firm Donskoy Tabak. He sold Donskoy Tabak for $1.6 billion to Japan Tabacco in March 2018.
Through his Greek company Dimera, he owns a stake in the soccer team FC PAOK in Thessaloniki which also runs the port of Thessaloniki. He has a 19 percent stake in Mega Channel and in 2017 acquired Pegasus Publications, which includes the newspapers of Ethnos and Imerisia.
On 11 August of the same year, he bought the E Channel from businessman Philipos Vryonis and the market agreement was ratified on 21 August 2017.
In 2023 Savvidis bought Volos Port Authority through his Thessaloniki Port Authority company. His company has been chosen as the favored investor for 67 percent of the Volos Port Authority shares.
In 2017, the Greek-Russian businessman caused an uproar when he praised the then-Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and likened him to Putin, while slamming main opposition leader and now Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
In 2018 an arrest warrant was issued by Greek authorities against him, after entering the pitch during a PAOK-AEK soccer game bearing a gun.
The PAOK owner followed by his security guards entered the field when the referee cancelled a PAOK goal in the 89th minute of the game as offside. Savvidis made gestures asking for his players to leave the pitch. Then he moved towards the referee but his bodyguards stopped him.
The image of the pistol on his belt and his angry move towards the referee has caused a storm in the Greek League.
Source: http://greece.greekreporter.com/category/greek-news/tourism/