The Greek shipping company, that saw two of its owners murdered by a disgruntled former employee have issued an announcement relating to the execution of Maria Karnesi, Antonis Vlassakis, and Captain Ilias Koukoularis.
A 75-year-old Egyptian national who had worked for the company, European Product Carriers for 36 consecutive years and later was entrusted as caretaker of their houses, was responsible for the gruesome murders.
European Product Carriers Ltd issued the following announcement:
With indescribable pain, yesterday, February 12, 2024, our company and all our executives experienced an unimaginable tragedy. A common killer, without any motive known to us, executed Maria Karnesi and Antonis Vlassakis, owners and bosses of our company, as well as the heroic Captain Ilias Koukoularis, our valuable and loyal partner for decades. By sheer luck, Miss Karnesi Vlassakis, owner of our company, escaped with her life.
This act, completely immoral and criminal, is not only heinous but also unjustifiable by anyone. However, since various stories circulating despite the tragic circumstances have no basis in reality, we must clarify the following:
The murderer’s employment contract with our company ended on March 31, 2023, nearly a year ago. He received a compensation of €74,862. Since then, he has not been employed by our company, Antonis Vlassakis, Despina Karnesi, or Maria Karnesi. To our knowledge, he worked as a caretaker at another member of the Karnesi family’s estate in Petalios, someone with whom the murdered individuals and Despina Karnesi had no relationship.
The company or Maria Karnesi never granted the murderer a house in Glyfada. The house mentioned on Tsitsani Street No. 16 does not belong to the deceased or the company, making it impossible for Maria Karnesi to have asked him to vacate it. Additionally, we are aware that the murderer had significant financial resources in his bank accounts.
Therefore, how and why he decided to commit this crime remains unknown and is currently under investigation.
We want to assure our employees, both on land and on the ships managed by our company, that under the guidance of Ms Despina Karnesi, our company will survive and continue its operation, achieving the same brilliant results as in the past. We ask everyone to respect the memory of Captain Ilias Koukoularis, Maria Karnesi, and Antonis Vlassakis, who ultimately gave their lives, literally and figuratively, to our company and our shipping group. Please also respect the pain of Despina, who lost everything in a single moment to a cold and unrepentant killer.
Heartfelt condolences to the family of Captain Ilias, Maria, Ms Despina, and their relatives.