A reporter from UNFOLLOW magazine was apparently threatened by a man who identified himself as oil magnate Dimitris Melissanidis from the Aegean Oil Company, after publishing a report that implicates the company in an oil smuggling scandal.
In the January 31st issue of UNFOLLOW magazine a report was published on oil smuggling in Greece – specifically the practice of oil carrier companies to buy oil at reduced-tax rates and channel it back into the market at the normal price. The magazine says it published two reports by the 7th Piraeus Customs Authority, with detailed findings on how two major oil companies engaged in this practice. One is ELPE (Hellenic Petroleum), where the principal shareholders are the Greek state and Spiros Latsis. The other is Aegean Oil, which is run by Dimitris Melissanidis – albeit without an official position, though his brother, Iakovos, holds a post on the board. In the report it was noted that although Aegean Oil officials have been charged with smuggling and forgery, their trial has been postponed four times already, while the state attorneys were absent on all four occasions.
Aegean Oil is colossal. Among other things, it supplies the American navy, and one of its associated companies trades in the New York stock exchange. A new trial regarding the smuggling and forgery charges is set for February 12th. Media attention in Greece has been, unsurprisingly, non-existent.
ELPE is set to be fully privatized soon, according to the privatization program imposed on Greece by the troika. The front-runner to acquire state owned shares is Spiros Latsis. At the same time, Dimitris Melissanidis is poised to purchase the soon to be privatized OPAP, the state company that holds a monopoly on gambling.
On the day following the publication in UNFOLLOW, February 1st, there was a phone call to the office of magazine. The number, according to the reports, was +30 210 4586000, and according to the same reports the caller asked for reporter Lefteris Charalampopoulos (or the author of the article) and then the caller identified himself as Dimitris Melissanidis.
The reporter talked to the caller on speaker, with two other UNFOLLOW reporters also present. The man identified himself as Dimitris Melissanidis and threatened the magazine with legal action. The reporter replied that he should of course proceed as he sees fit. Following that, despite the reporter’s best efforts to converse in a courteous manner, the caller threatened his life repeatedly. The call had a duration of 20 minutes, ten minutes of which were spent on threats to the reporter.
According to the reporter the man who identified himself as Dimitris Melissanidis said:
“I could have you killed without having warned you. But I am a man and I’m going to have you blown up in your sleep. I’ll have you killed, you, your wife, your children, everything you’ve got”.When our reporter told the caller that he would alert the authorities, he replied:
“Screw you and the authorities. I don’t understand anything, I am Melissanidis. You will not be able to sleep. You will not be able to go out, I’ll be your nightmare. Fear of me will haunt you. They will come to your house and blow you up in your sleep. I am used to talking to big journalists. I looked you up and I will tear you down”.When the reporter asked if by “big journalists” the caller meant those who play his game, the caller replied:
“I want you to tell me that with a gun to your head”.An online search for the phone number of the magazine uncovered that it belonged to: AEGEAN OIL SA (Melissanidis Dimitrios) Oil Industry and Supply – Main Office. According to phone company listings, the number is also registered with a number of associated companies, such as AEGEAN AGENCY, AEGEAN BUNKERING SERVICES, AEGEAN MARINE PETROLEUM, AEGEAN OIL, and AEGEAN SHIPPING MANAGEMENT – all based at the same address, 10 Akti Kondyli, Pireaus, 18545.
UNFOLLOW magazine issued a Press release last night, where points out the following:
“First, UNFOLLOW will not be shaken off its course. Second, after the unprecedented threats on our reporter’s life, we declare that for anything that might from now on endanger the life of our reporter, any of our other reporters, or their families, we will hold the caller self-identified as Dimitris Melissanidis responsible. Third, we call on the authorities to do their duty. Fourth, we ask for the support of any journalist with a conscience. Fifth, we call on Press Unions to take a public position on the event, and do what is necessary, so that journalism in Greece is not stifled.” http://unfollow.gr.com/index.php/blog/item/171-melissanidisapeilesunfollow.htmlBorderLineReports
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