The owner of the Greek bakery chain “Horiatiko“ Angelos Yannakopoulos has been detained in a large-scale operation against alleged tax fraud of over €100m. According to “Kathimerini“, the Greek police have made 50 arrests, and the investigation covers a network of around 200 businesses through which, according to the prosecution, fictitious transactions were carried out and tax payments were avoided.
The operation is being led by the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, known in Greece as the “Greek FBI“. The investigation began in January 2026 and includes allegations of fraud against the state, tax crimes, non-payment of VAT and social security contributions. Among those detained is the company's chief accountant, who is believed to have played a key role in organizing the scheme.
Yannakopoulos was detained after returning to Greece from Dubai. “Kathimerini“ reports that the investigation is ongoing and that the number of detainees may change. The English-language publication of the publication initially did not indicate the exact number of arrests, while the Greek version speaks of 50 detainees.
Previous human trafficking case
The businessman's name has already been linked to investigations into pimping and human trafficking. According to data cited in Greek publications, in 2010 he was arrested in a case of exploitation of women from Ukraine, Moldova and other countries of Eastern Europe.
In 2015, a first-instance court sentenced him to 10 years and 6 months in prison. Other defendants were also convicted in the same case. After an appeal, the sentences were reduced, some of the charges were dropped, and the defendants remained free on bail. This data refers to the previous case and does not constitute evidence of guilt in the new investigation.
Separate case for the „Pizza Fan“ chain
Greek authorities are also investigating another alleged tax evasion scheme involving over 100 locations of the „Pizza Fan“ pizza chain. According to data published by “Kathimerini“, the damage to the state is estimated at around 25 million euros. 21 or 22 people have been detained in the case, depending on the time of publication of the individual reports.
A search of the chain's owner's villa in the northern suburbs of Athens revealed a secret room with around 1.1 million euros in cash. Police also seized jewelry and luxury cars. Investigators are investigating allegations that special software marked some of the cash payments as free orders in order to avoid reporting them to the tax authorities.
In both cases, the detainees are considered innocent until final court decisions are made. The prosecutor's office is yet to consider whether to bring charges and detention measures.
Sources: kathimerini.gr, ekathimerini.com