Greek composer and songwriter Nikos Karvelas has denied reports alleging tax violations, insisting that all his personal income and earnings from the company in which he participates have been properly declared. He also accused people in singer Anna Vissi’s circle and some journalists of orchestrating a campaign of damaging leaks against him.
In a written statement published Tuesday, October 13, Karvelas said he was surprised and angered by what he described as defamatory reports concerning a tax audit involving him. The coverage emerged amid his ongoing dispute with Vissi following her large-scale concert at Athens’ Olympic Stadium, also known as OAKA, and the public statements that followed.
Karvelas said all income from the company, including revenue from concerts and related events, as well as his personal earnings from every source, had been transparently reported to the tax authorities. He specifically cited concerts at the Panathenaic Stadium, known in Greece as the Kallimarmaro, and income received through collective management organizations representing musicians and publishers.
“All statutory withholdings and all my tax obligations have been fulfilled in full,” he said, adding that no tax liability to the state remained unpaid or unresolved through a lawful arrangement.
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He also said the tax authorities had access to the relevant electronic tax records and that legal tax documents had been issued for every source of income belonging to him and the company.
Karvelas threatens legal action over reports
Karvelas said he would cooperate fully with the tax authorities and provide any information requested through his accountants.
He also questioned the source of the reports and the motives of those responsible for circulating them, as well as those who published them.
“Any further reproduction of false and offensive reports that seek to portray me as someone who has allegedly committed tax violations will be dealt with through legal channels,” he said.
Accusations against Vissi’s circle
The composer also directed criticism at Vissi and people close to her, accusing them of engaging in what he described as a coordinated campaign of smears and deliberate leaks, with the assistance of journalists sympathetic to them.
Karvelas referred to an incident at the Olympic Stadium involving Vissi and the concert’s production company, describing their conduct as inappropriate. He said that, following the incident, people in the singer’s circle appeared to have continued the dispute through damaging publicity.
He questioned why information about his personal property, including the home he had purchased and the car he drives, had been made public.
Karvelas also objected to media commentary suggesting that his income and assets, which he said had been acquired legally through the exploitation and development of his own work, were the result of Vissi’s generosity.
‘I did not engage in smears’
Karvelas argued that Vissi could not claim ignorance or innocence if she tolerated the behavior he attributed to people around her.
He said his position throughout the dispute had focused on two issues: respect for his personality and protection of his work.
“I did not leak information. I did not bombard the media with supposedly inside information of the lowest caliber, like the material I am forced to hear circulated against me every day,” he said.
He also denied authorizing his representatives, friends or associates to make repeated television appearances to discuss the dispute. Nor, he said, had he tried to influence public opinion with issues unrelated to the disagreement itself.
Karvelas called on the other side to stop what he described as a campaign of smears, warning that he would pursue legal remedies to protect his rights if it continued.
“I am not one of those who are afraid, bend or back down in the face of such degrading tactics,” he said, adding that he reserved the right to take the matter to court.