After eight years of court proceedings, the beloved singer Katy Garbi was sentenced for evading €828,300 worth of tax, which with surcharges actually becomes €1.7 million. This supposed news spread all over Greek media on the weekend but was categorically denied by the Garbi on Sunday night.
According to Proto Thema, the singer's appeal to the courts did not work in her favour, and in actual fact doubled the interest amount since she has now lost all legal avenues and must pay the entire amount now.
The singer in June 2014, with a post on her official Facebook page, explained the situation from her perspective.
In her announcement, Garbi stated, among other things, that media publications offend every concept of personal data protection and stressed that "publicising her case constitutes the 'bubble' of exaggeration and is the directed distraction of people from their problems and that of the country."
Read the singer's full announcement, as posted by her at the time:
"Regarding today's publications which of course offend every concept personal data protections, the rights of citizens and violates the law, and the numbers that are written have nothing to do with reality, I have to state the following:
"About 3 years ago, an investigation into my tax returns from 2000 to 2010 started.
"Recently they asked me to justify ten years of movements of my personal accounts in several banks within 5 days. It is reasonable that a citizen will not be able to remember, gather evidence and make a refutation within the short deadline.
"However, I filed a detailed memorandum through my lawyers.
"In the first stage it was accepted for a very large part of the checkable amount for a transaction. I am absolutely sure, that when the authorities reaches the determination of the amount, then I will appeal to the dispute resolution department of article 63a of Law 4174/13, as well as to the administrative courts, and I am sure that at least they will not make 'black and white' decisions and will be based on logic, on the proofs that I will present, but also on the law.
"With their decision they will break the 'bubble' of exaggeration and the directed disorientation of citizens from their own problems and problems of the world."
"Athens 07/04/2014
"Katy Garbi"
However, on November 27, 2022, the singer denied the allegations and threatened to take to court anyone spread the falsity.
"I have no outstanding taxes," she said on Twitter, adding that "the case is closed."
Δεν έχω καμία φορολογική εκκρεμότητα,η υπόθεση έχει κλείσει & ζητώ να αποδοθεί δικαιοσύνη με μια δημόσια συγνώμη από οσους έγραψαν ψέμματα & συκοφαντιες για μένα σήμερα. Ήρεμα το λέω γιατί αν βράσει το κύμα της Γαρμπη θα αρχίσουμε αλισβερίσι με αγωγες & εξώδικα & θα είναι κρίμα
— Καίτη Γαρμπή (@KaitiGarbi) November 27, 2022
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