Authorities freeze assets in major tax fraud cases involving Pizza Fan and Horiatiko

On October 26, 2026, the head of the Anti-Money Laundering Authority, Charalampos Vourliotis, ordered the freezing of all assets, bank accounts, and safe deposit boxes belonging to individuals implicated in major tax fraud investigations involving the pizza chain Pizza Fan and the bakery chain Horiatiko. To protect employees, the order explicitly excludes payroll accounts for staff members at both companies.

Legal proceedings intensified on October 27, when the owner of Pizza Fan, identified in reports as Antaras, and his associates appeared before an investigator to face felony charges, including money laundering, VAT evasion exceeding 150,000 euros, and criminal organization involvement. The investigation centers on alleged tax evasion totaling 25 million euros, facilitated by manipulated receipts and unreported transactions. While some defendants, including accountants and a programmer, were released with restrictive conditions such as 5,000 euro bail, the primary suspects remain under intense legal scrutiny. The Pizza Fan owner has reportedly denied the core allegations while expressing a willingness to pay overdue taxes resulting from the audit; he also faces questions regarding one million euros in cash discovered in a home safe.

The case is ongoing, with judicial authorities continuing to examine the roles of the 23 total suspects arrested. Further testimonies are pending as the defense seeks to clarify the operational details of the software and the specific financial discrepancies noted in the indictment.