Court case on trafficking ring opens in Athens, 23 allegedly involved

The brothers claimed they were set up, either by competitor bakery owners or by laid-off staff, and that the strip joints were set up to accomodate a woman who did not want to work in a bakery.

Twenty-three people have been named in the case file, including women entertainers at the strip joints the two brothers ran in Athens.

According to the files, "The 23 defendants set up a structured criminal organisation, led by Angelos G. (A.G.), with clear roles for each and constant activity, for the purpose of committing several criminal acts, specifically the economic and sexual exploitation of female foreign nationals from Eastern European and Balkan countries."

According to the charge file, members of the organisation located these women through a fake job bureau ("West Line") run by a woman, N.M. They found women who were in financial need and provided travel documents and tickets so they could work in Athens as dancers. They picked them up at the airport in Athens and placed them in apartments, rented or owned by them, provided residency permits through fake Lithuanian passports and political asylum applications, withholding their real documents and using threats and drugs to force them into sexual acts with customers at the Alcatraz and Star strip joints.

To avoid being caught, the files said, they had set up a Cyprus-based offshore company (Desena Limited) with an office in Athens, which appeared to be managing the strip joints through frontmen. The profits were laundered through the bakery chain, which for a time was owned by A.G., 46, and his brother (it is now in their mother's name).

In his testimony, A.G., 46, said that he opened the strip joints because of a Romanian national "whom I brought to Athens, but she didn't want to work at the bakeries, so I opened the stores for her; I did everything for the love of a woman." He transferred them to an offshore following advice by his accountant, he said. He also said he used to employ 50 in each of the two stores, and claimed he was no longer their owner. "The charges against me were made by a young woman who worked at the store and because she drank a lot, I kicked her out. She did it out of revenge... She was bitter over losing her job," he said.

Authorities made the arrests following two separate complaints filed. One was in June 2008 by a Russian woman who asked authorities for protection from the men and a woman from Poland. Both named the 46-year-old man in their charges.

Charges faced separately by each of the 23 defendants include participating in a criminal organisation, sexual trafficking, violation of immigration laws and money laundering.

The other defendants denied the charges, saying they were simple employees who had no idea of illegal activity. Responding to the claims of staff - dancers, waiters, bouncers and parking attendants, among others - the presiding judge said, "I see. It was like a convent in there."

The trial was adjourned for April 20.