Rape of 24-year-old Georgia: How the cover-up was prevented

The struggle against the cover-up of the case of the gang rape of 24-year-old Georgia Bika has paid off, since the developments are now stormy. From the very first moment the news was attempted to be hushed up, while Vassilis Leventis, of the well-known business family, who was arrested for the case on January 2, was released with restrictions. For 10 long days, until January 13, nothing had happened, silence had fallen on the alleged New Year's Day gang rape.

Once again, the social media played a decisive role in the publicity of the case, but also the people who dared to speak out through their popular profiles, such as the activist Elias Gionis, who - it should be remembered - was the person who brought to light the case of Stathis Panagiotopoulos' abusive actions. In this case too, Ilias Gionis played an important role, publishing names of those involved and sparking a wave on social media against the attempted cover-up.

In the case, as Mr. Gionis revealed in his interview to Tvxs.gr, the Leventis brothers (Vassilis and Evagoras) are involved, while Manos Papadopoulos, co-owner of the well-known café-bar «Achillion» in Thessaloniki, appears as the organizer of the party. The intention to silence the case was understood by the survivor from the very first moment: As Georgia herself reported, the night she made the complaint and while she was at the police station, the lawyer of the other side attacked her to stop her.

On January 2, it was leaked by the police that «a 27-year-old Greek man is being detained and examined after a 24-year-old woman complained of rape against her by the arrested man». The complainant was finally subjected to a forensic examination after three days, while reports spoke of «a case being handled with great delicacy by the authorities who are extremely sparing in releasing more information before the preliminary investigation is completed».

On 13 January, ten days later, Manos Papadopoulos, in a post on his Instagram account, admitted that at a New Year's Eve party, «a 24-year-old girl» (Georgia Bika), whom he wrote he had invited, was raped. In particular, he wrote that she was «irreparably exposed mentally and physically» and apologised. It was subsequently revealed that the 27-year-old man who was «detained and examined» by the authorities was Vassilis Leventis, who was brought before the prosecutor and the investigating judge, but was subsequently released on restrictive conditions.

The post on Manos Papadopoulos« account stated: »On New Year's Eve, me and my colleagues organized a party in a suite of a well-known five-star hotel in our city. In an effort to make it a beautiful evening, I stupidly pressured young girls to attend so that the evening could be made beautiful for our friends and clients who came from Athens for the three-day weekend. The situation went awry during the night resulting in the irreparable mental and physical exposure of a girl I know and I was clearly the pushing cause for her to attend the party. To say the least I owe a huge apology.".

Two days later, however, and after the news had become known and the names had been leaked mainly through social media, causing an uproar with #cancel_Achillion and #cancel_coca_cola being the first to trend on twitter, he, in a new post, claimed that the original post was not made by him but by another person, who had forcibly snatched his mobile phone, and denied its content. «This person, whom I have already sued for snatching, threatening, unlawful violence, dangerous bodily harm, insult and defamation, together with his “companions” on 1/1/2022 beat me mercilessly and then on 1/13/2022 they forcibly took my mobile phone from me and posted on my instagram profile the false text concerning an incident I was not present,» he wrote, accompanying his post with a photo of him appearing beaten.

Following the revelation of the case, the 24-year-old's lawyer said that a «large circle» was involved in the gang rape case. He had specifically stressed, speaking to SKAI, that «it is a big circuit, not a small circuit, and it must be dismantled». Shortly after his statements, it became known that on the orders of the head of the prosecutor's office Panagiotis Panagiotopoulos, an investigation was launched to dismantle a pimp ring and a case file was formed, but without involving the 24-year-old in the case.

In addition, in his intervention, the prosecutor of the Supreme Court, Vassilis Pliotas, asked for a thorough investigation of everything that has seen the light of day, as well as for him to take over the supervision of the investigation.

The role of social media

Around the time that the story of Manos Papadopoulos was published and the case became known to the general public, a big effort was launched on social media in order to prevent the cover-up of the issue, while many media had silenced the news.

The activist Elias Gionis, as mentioned above, was one of the people who contributed the most to this effort. He, speaking to tvxs.gr, based on the information he had from the 24-year-old and other victims of the circuit with whom he has come into contact, confirmed that the one who was called to testify in the case was 27-year-old Vassilis Leventis, while he claimed that Dimitris Fintirikos was also involved in the case, who has sued him because of a previous post that mentioned his name.

The activist originally learned of the event from a feminist collective. When he reproduced the news, he started receiving messages from young women who knew people and situations as they had been victims themselves, but did not make any complaints because they did not remember anything when they woke up from their sedation.

«During the hours I was receiving the messages, Papadopoulos» post with the confession came out and I reproduced it. Then the complaints multiplied, coming into my inbox. I talked to girls who explained to me who the businessmen were, what shops they had. They even mentioned politicians of the ruling party to me. They all mentioned the same faces to me.".

According to the girls« information, the ring also operates in Cyprus and Mykonos. »All indications are that a well-known businessman is coordinating the whole scheme and has distributed the other cities to the others. Someone else is in charge in Athens, someone else in Thessaloniki and in each of them, they have their own auto-farms.".

What he testified to the authorities

As Georgia herself testified to the authorities, on New Year's Eve she was invited by the organizer of the party with two of her friends to a well-known hotel in Thessaloniki to welcome the New Year.

«At 04:00 in the morning leaving the hotel all together I found that I couldn't drive because of drunkenness, I couldn't even locate my car. So I decided to book a room and sleep in the hotel,» the 24-year-old said.

«As they decided to leave, she got a call from the person who invited her to the party saying come back and I'll help you. She felt safe as her home was far away, on the other side of Thessaloniki,» noted her lawyer, Athanasios Ziogas.

Then, as she says: «Going up to my room I met three men in the corridor who were at the party. They, because I was in a bad state, invited me to their room, saying that it was better. Since then I don't remember anything.».

On New Year's Day, the 24-year-old woke up in a different room (suite 602) from the one she had booked herself and realized what had happened against her will and while she was drugged.

«I woke up in the morning just before 11:00 and I was in a room I didn't know. There were discarded men's clothes and a suitcase, and I saw a male arousal pill on the table. My dress was up and I was not wearing any underwear. I immediately went to the police station and made the complaint,» the 24-year-old added.

It is worth noting that apart from Manos Papadopoulos, who was the person who knew her and invited her to the hotel, 24-year-old Georgia has recognized both Vassilis Leventis and his brother Evagoras. In fact, it was Vassilis Leventis who was the one who was originally arrested, and he had published a photo of himself reading the «Mayhem» newspaper, which had published the event in its front page, with his name. He is, after all, the man that 24-year-old Georgia accused of raping her, while he testified that they had had sexual intercourse of her own free will.

The controversial sponsorship of Mendoni that she took back

The Minister of Culture, after the reactions caused and the announcement issued by the Unionist Movement of Workers in the Ministry of Culture, backed down and did not accept the donation of the charitable foundation «International Foundation For Greece» for the construction of the New Archaeological Museum of Delos, as a member of the Board is Vassilis Leventis.
In fact, the decision was uploaded to the Diavgeia on 5/1, while the 24-year-old woman's complaint had already been made on 1/1 and the name of one of the two alleged perpetrators was known before 5/1.

The 24-year-old is revealed...

The 24-year-old Georgia Bika, for the first time after the complaint, spoke about the event and those involved, to Makis Triantafylopoulos.

«When I went to the party with a friend I saw people I didn't like. A bit posh. We discussed it and decided to sit alone in a corner until the moment they bought me a drink. I'd had champagne and the one they bought me didn't know what it was. My friend asked me to leave and I thought ‘New Year's Eve where to go? ’You're going home with your family,‘ I told her. ’I don't have anyone. Only the walls are waiting for me.‘ From the police I learned who the three were who grabbed me in the elevator when I tried to go to my room. The two were the Leventis brothers,’ the 24-year-old says, among other things. According to Makis Triantafylopoulos, there was a third person, the son of a shipowner from Piraeus (Perogiannakis).

It is surprising that, as she said, the next night of the incident, she gave a urine sample for examination, while it took three days for a forensic doctor to examine her. «They informed her that they would take blood for the toxicology test which they ultimately did not take. The coroner saw her after three days ... The prosecutor and the investigator saw them from New Year's Day, the day of the incident, on the 14th,» says Makis Triantafylopoulos.

The 24-year-old explains that she took the decision to speak out publicly to act as a wake-up call to women who have been in the position of a victim. «If I can prevent such a situation, I want to help these women to speak out, to be more careful,» she said. And shortly afterwards he reiterated: «Let every girl come out and talk about what has happened to her. Whatever has been done to her, she should say it. She should talk. Not to hide and not to be afraid. For me, this will be a vindication.».

Finally, it is worth noting that two more complaints of rape are available to the lawyer of 24-year-old Georgia from Thessaloniki, Thanasis Ziogas.

«In my office there are complaints, to me personally, that there is a ring that promotes women at parties,» he said initially, adding that two women have reported their rape «in the same way» in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

However, he argued that the alleged people involved in the 24-year-old's case are not the same persons as the new allegations.