The widely publicized wedding and posh reception of a former reality TV competition player and “public figure influencer” on social media was closely followed, among others, by Greece’s tax bureau (AADE), with a barrage of audits as a result.
Practically all of the suppliers and service providers associated with the event were subsequently summoned by the tax bureau, officially called the Independent Authority for Public Revenues, for audits, with initial findings ranging for failure to issue an invoice for the specific occasion, to personal companies posting years of consecutive annual losses and even individuals with no particulars listed with tax authorities.
Those audited included a well-known local performer who sang at the wedding, the disk jockey, the florists, the venue where the reception was held, photographers and the make-up artists.
The wedding of Elizabeth Eletsi and Nektarios Lemonidis was widely covered by morning and afternoon gossip and “infotainment” programs early last month, with every luxurious facet of the wedding, reception and honeymoon detailed on the “small screen” and social media platforms. The “overexposure” allowed special software used by the tax bureau to reportedly honed in what appeared to be extravagant spending for services and goods.
Among others, the main performer at the wedding reception is accused of failing to provide an invoice to the tax bureau via an online platform for his specific appearance. Additionally, the same artist is cited as declaring up to 10,000 euros in annual income for the past several years when his Facebook page shows dozens of appearances at nightclubs and concert halls throughout Greece.
In an immediate response on Wednesday, the newly married Eletsi said the singer made an unpaid “friendly performance”, as he was one of her fellow players on the Greek-language version of the competition reality show “Survivor” two seasons ago.
The individual identified as the “wedding planner” for high-profile personalities was linked to a relative’s company that organizes such social events, although appearing as neither as wage-earner, self-employed professional or owner of any business. In fact, the man has declared zero income on tax returns, while his relative and company owner declared gross income of 20,000 euros for 2023.
Another audit showed that the boutique that supplied the wedding gown did not issue an invoice or receipt for the designer outfits. Although dozens of photos of weddings and baptisms are shown on the business’ Facebook pages, its annual returns report accumulated losses exceeding 160,000 euros from 2018 onwards.
The property where the marriage ceremony and reception were held issued an invoice of 3,000 euros on the date of the event. Since 2019 when the business began operation, it has accumulated losses exceeding 200,000 euros and has never posted a profitable year. Nevertheless, the same business is shown as leasing the property for an annual rate of more than 55,000 euros.
The same is true for the high-end patisserie that provided the wedding cake and other sweets, i.e. a 1,000-euro invoice but years of operation without profits but with accumulated losses.
The caterer of the reception reportedly doesn’t even have a cash register, has never forwarded sales data to the tax bureau and also reports anemic annual revenues.
Audits were also conducted on the hair stylists and make-up artists, as both sets of providers boast a prolific presence on social media, showing work on events in various upscale destinations, such as Mykonos.
