Pizza Fan founder faces judge over €1 million cash and tax fraud scheme

Konstantinos Antaras, the proprietor of the Pizza Fan franchise, is scheduled to appear before an investigating judge as part of a sprawling tax evasion investigation that implicates 126 individuals. Authorities allege that Antaras manipulated receipts, recorded free pizzas as sales and concealed €1 million in cash within a hidden compartment at his home, while also denying accusations of circulating undeclared money and extortion.

The case carries felony charges, including participation in a criminal organization, VAT evasion above €150,000, and aggravated money laundering. Five defendants—three accountants, a software developer and a Nea Ionia franchise owner—were released on restrictive bail, required to report regularly and provide a €5,000 guarantee. The Independent Authority for Public Revenue has opened an internal probe into alleged leaks of upcoming inspections, suspecting that tax officials may have been bribed, based on recorded phone calls.

Forensic experts are dissecting specialized software believed to have been used to alter business records and possibly distributed to other restaurants. Anti-Money Laundering Authority chief Charalambos Vourliotis ordered a comprehensive freeze of assets and bank accounts of all suspects, sparing only accounts used for employee wages. The revelations have sparked a protest by Pizza Fan’s 2,500 staff demanding job security and protection of their social-security rights.