Athens, June 2024 - A luxury apartment on Leventi Street in Kolonaki has become the center of political controversy following its purchase by Tyler McBeth, the husband of SYRIZA president Stefanos Kasselakis. The transaction, amounting to 1.76 million euros, was completed through an interbank transfer from abroad, initially involving the procedures for acquiring a Golden Visa in Greece.
Details of the Purchase:
The contract for the purchase, as revealed by protothema.gr, indicates that the apartment cost 1.76 million euros, fully paid via bank transfer. Initially, the contract included a provision for a Golden Visa, but with the legalization of same-sex marriage in Greece, such a visa was no longer necessary for McBeth to obtain a permanent residence permit.
Financial Disclosures:
An Excel report presented by Stefanos Kasselakis shows that Tyler McBeth had deposits of approximately 600 dollars, owed 12,000 dollars on credit cards, and held 149,324 dollars in student loan debt. Additionally, McBeth did not disclose any income from Kasselakis.
In a recent interview with Nikos Hatzinikolaou, Kasselakis stated that he financed the apartment solely from his own earnings, listing 1.997 million dollars in income for the previous year. Kasselakis asserted that the transaction did not involve McBeth financially, despite the latter being named as the buyer in the contract.
Political Repercussions:
The transaction has elicited strong reactions from political opponents, leading to further scrutiny:
- New Democracy: The ruling party accused Kasselakis of dishonesty regarding the financial aspects of the purchase. "It is clear that Mr. Kasselakis lies quicker than he breathes and has broken all records for opacity and hypocrisy," the party stated in an announcement. They also emphasized the inconsistencies between Kasselakis's interview statements and the contract details.
- PASOK: The PASOK party echoed criticisms about Kasselakis’s reliability, pointing to his use of offshore companies and discrepancies about the house's payment method. "The president of SYRIZA, who speaks against the Golden Visa, is so unreliable that he even used the measure himself," read their statement.
Documentation:
The contract details confirm that McBeth was the official buyer of the property, which objective value stands at 775,405.79 euros. The contract also notes that the sale was facilitated by Sotheby's Greece and included a transfer tax of 54,384 euros, paid by McBeth.
Follow-up disclosures reveal that the Kasselakis-McBeth couple commenced extensive renovations on the newly purchased property, which are still underway.
Conclusion:
The purchase of the luxury apartment in Kolonaki continues to stir debate over financial transparency and the statements made by Stefanos Kasselakis. As the political discourse intensifies, the discrepancies between public declarations and documented transactions add fuel to the ongoing controversy.
