P. Panagopoulos' thrilling deposition

Shocking details are provided in Perikles Panagopoulos' first deposition, in which he described the chronicle of his abduction before the three-member felony board, where the so-called "New Syndicate of Crime" is going on trial.

"Be aware that I am glad to see you, even though our roles are now reversed, and you are free while I am being held. If I knew what kind of man you were, you would not be standing here today". These are the words of Apostolos Petrakis, right before Panagopoulos' statement. Petrakis was one of the men that had kidnapped the businessman.

It seems that Petrakis' "apologies" did not move the judge, who in turn harshly declared to the perpetrator that "It would be a show of good faith if you returned the 30 million in ransom that are still missing".

The businessman began his deposition by describing the morning of Monday, January 12th, when he found himself in the passenger seat of a car being blocked by a van  in the middle of the road outside his house. As he described, the minivan door suddenly opened and three masked men armed with AK-47s came bursting from within. According to the witness, they broke the driver's window with a hammer, opened the door and dragged him out.

"I simply lost it and since I am suffering from a heart condition, my pulse raced. I could not untangle myself from my seatbelt", the businessman said, adding that the accused dragged him out of his seat and shoved him in the minivan along with the driver.

"This was one of the most difficult times for me. Thankfully, Giorgos (the driver) was near me and he did all he could to keep me alive", stated Mr. Panagopoulos, obviously moved.

He went on to talk about the nightmarish ride until they reached their destination, an abandoned construction site into which he was led.

Mr. Panagopoulos stated that the kidnappers led him to an open area where they asked him to get in the trunk of another car, in which theydrove for about an hour to an unknown area.

"I found myself lying in the trunk like an embryo. It was very hard for me. I have never travelled like this before. I was always under the impression we were driving through a tunnel. I supposed we were on the interstate between Athens and Patras", he said.

According to Mr. Panagopoulos, they dragged him out of the trunk, put a bag over his face and led him to the construction site. As he declared, the building comprised two stories and his kidnappers stayed on the bottom floor. His room consisted of a new folding bed with fresh sheets and a pair of chains built into the wall that led to handcuffs.

"They made me wear black sweatpants that they had on too, and a pair of red slippers. Thankfully, those slippers kept my feet warm. The whole place was open on all sides so air got in. I was chained during the whole time of my abduction except for the few times they were kind enough to let me walk so I don't get thrombosis. In the room there was a TV set that could only receive MEGA channel's signal and on that tv set there was another device, which was obviously a camera so they could keep an eye on me. At my age, I could not escape the way I was dressed, in sweatpants and red slippers.

The witness said that the three kidnappers treated him very well and provided him with all the medication he needed.

Mr. Panagopoulos stated that he indicated to his kidnappers that they should only barter with his wife on the matter of ransom, from the moment in the van when they told him that his life was not in danger and that they only wanted money. He also said that "the trade-off was either my life or my money, let us not forget that. It is despicable and terrible. How can you put a price tag on a human life?".

The business man described his imprisonment conditions which, as he admitted, were not easy at all since there was a lack of hygiene throughout the place, and during food consumption, since due to health problems he had to consume a certain type of foods. Besides all that, he also admitted that during his captivity, they provided all he required, treated him well and as he remembered, had been asked by all of them to call them "Christos"

The deposition continues.