On the trail of Bill Papas and Westpac s missing $285m afr.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from afr.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Forum Finance boss Basile Papadimitriou, known as Bill Papas, will return to Australia from Greece on Saturday to confront allegations of fraud.
Westpac took legal action against Mr Papas, and Societe Generale has launched a separate court action relating to allegations of fraud against his company, Forum Finance, of amounts worth $294 million and $9 million respectively.
On Wednesday, a Federal Court hearing took place.
Rocco Panetta, Mr Papas’ lawyer, said he had communicated with his client on several occasions and Mr Papas did not disclose his exact location, however there were numerous press reports that said that Mr Papas had on 25 May stated the intention to travel to Greece to watch his club Xanthi FC play.
“Uncontactable” Bill Papas suspected to be in Greece
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Forum Finance chief executive and soccer heavyweight Bill Papas, who is at the centre of an alleged $200 million fraud and has disappeared without a trace, is reportedly in Greece.
Mr Papas has not been seen or contactable since Westpac, Australia’s second largest bank, uncovered the alleged $200 million fraud around a month ago.
It was reported in the Greek media that Bill Papas intended to travel to Greece, to watch his club Xanthi FC play in a crucial play-off one day before a coincidental call between Westpac’s banker and its client WesTrac, which led to the finding of the alleged $200 million fraud.
Bill Papas reportedly in Greece for Xanthi FC, and top lawyer Alexis Kougias set to make an announcement neoskosmos.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from neoskosmos.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Westpac discovered the alleged fraud leading to an investigation when Westrac, applied for finance for office products with the bank in early June.
The bank discovered it already provided financing for Westrac through Forum Finance.
WesTrac confirmed funds were in fact accessed through a Forum Finance loan for equipment worth about $9 million under its name, yet had no record of obtaining the funds.
Mr Papas vanishing act drew comparisons to Sydney businesswoman Melissa Caddick who vanished while being investigated by ASIC
Further investigations undertaken by Westpac into six more loan contracts financed by the bank allegedly showed the assets financed did not exist, with just one of the advances for equipment amounting to $211 million.