Head of Melbourne-based firm Velos & Velos Lawyers, John Velos, will appeal a forgery conviction in a Greek court following a family legal dispute over the control of a $1.5 million hotel resort on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.
The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that the Toorak lawyer, who has been a solicitor for over 40 years, was also the former mayor of the City of Prahran.
He was caught with allegedly committing forgery in Athens, Greece, earlier this year, which then led to a six-month prison sentence.
His conviction stems from his actions in a family disagreement over the management of a Greek company that owns the Skoutari Beach Hotel, a seaside resort located roughly 250 kilometres southwest of Athens. It is valued at approximately $1.5 million (928,000 euros).
Earlier this year, in February, he was found guilty of forgery in the Athens Court of Appeals, though he was acquitted of a separate charge related to the use of a forged document.
He received a six-month prison sentence, valid for three years, and was ordered to pay €250 in court fees.
These charges were brought against him in Greece mid-2020. Later that same year, Mr Velos made an unsuccessful bid for a seat as a councillor for the Stonnington City Council in Melbourne’s southeast.
Legal firm Landers & Rogers, who is representing Velos, said Velos denies any wrongdoing in the Greek criminal matter.
The firm said responsibility for the alleged criminal act instead rested with Velos’ Greek lawyer, who failed to correctly complete paperwork for the company that owned the hotel in 2017.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald.
