Marina Charitopoulos and her brother Pantelis Charitopoulos who ran the Charitopoulos family businesses including, Golden Chef, Adelaide Snow Dome, Fast Food Concepts, Haritopoulos, Evia and many more defunct entities have gone from a chain of failed businesses and being held liable for taxation fraud and numerous bankrupt companies and have now turned to property investing in a last ditched attempt to save the failing family companies and a few property assets.
Australia, May 18, 2009 — Marina Charitopoulos and brother Pantelis Charitopoulos have now decided to turn their tricks on the real estate industry. The first chain of events started in 2005 when catering company Golden Chef, was been placed into liquidation, loosing about 300 jobs in Adelaide and interstate. The company owed about $300000 to the Australian Taxation Office and $300000 more to many other creditors. Receivers seized assets including more than 100 vans, which are used by the company in Victoria and South Australia to deliver lunches.
Mr Alex Gallacher, from the Transport Workers Union said most of the workers were still owed wages and superannuation payments. Many of the store managers still to this day remain un-paid for hours and hours of work and commitment to Marina Charitopoulos and brother Pantelis Charitopoulos.
More recently, Charitopoulos was ordered to pay $500,000 for illegally removing property from the defunct mobile catering business, golden chef. In a scathing judgment, the Victorian Supreme Court has ruled Charitopoulos, 27, of Fitzroy, committed criminal contempt by taking nine men to his former Athol Park company last May while it was in receivership.
Justice Dodds-Stretton said the raid was a “very serious breach” which involved “surprise tactics, thuggish behaviour and the premeditated seizure of property lawfully in the possession of receivers”.
“It is particularly grave when, as in the present case, a sizeable band of men enter premises after business hours, change locks and remove assets, resisting any attempts to prevent or restrain them,” she said. “Although no one was hurt, the presence of the defendant’s party was clearly intimidating. The conduct posed a serious risk of violence and disorder.”
Justice Dodds-Stretton described Charitopoulos as an “untruthful witness” who was prepared to give “false testimony in order to suit perceived advantage”. “The oral evidence was obfuscating, evasive, inconsistent and, on a number of significant matters, inherently incredible,” she said. Justice Dodds-Stretton fined Charitopoulos $100,000 and sentenced him to 30 days in jail while ordering his company, Aristopoulos Pty Ltd, to pay a further $100,000.
One of the most recent developments in the Charitopoulos story of events is the start up of Virtex Property Group, operated by Marina Charitopoulos, and brother. They are turning tricks on the real estate industry. One such property the former La Porchetta restaurant, on Main South and Pimpala Road, South Australia, was bull dozed to make way for a two-story office and retail complex, which the family is hoping to rent our to would be tenants. Other properties include the Epworth Building, Level 1, 185 Victoria Square, Level 2, 81 Currie Street, Stepney property locations and some property in Port Pirie, Adelaide South Australia.
Tenants and Investors have been warned to do background checks, research the practices of the real estate agents and do you own internet searches on the names of the agents and past business practices. Details of the history of companies can be searched at the ASIC website.
For more details and a list of press releases people can log on to the Virtex Property Group website, www.virtexpropertygroup.com
Contact:
Marina Charitopoulos
Virtex Property Group
33 Pirie Street Adelaide
South Australia
Phone: 13 28 66
[email protected]
http://www.virtexpropertygroup.com
