Sokratis Kokkalis

Sokratis Kokkalis (Greek: Σωκράτης Κόκκαλης) (born 27 May 1939) is a Greek businessman, listed in the Forbes 500 richest people in the world.

Business
Kokkalis is the Chairman, CEO and majority shareholder of Intracom Holdings, one of the largest multinational technology groups in South-Eastern Europe, and the Chairman and majority shareholder of Intralot S.A., a leading gaming-technology supplier and lottery licensed operator. He has established and presides over the Kokkalis Foundation, a non-profit organization that "promotes education and training, culture and social welfare, medical research and information technology, and athletics," both in Greece and abroad.

Football
Kokkalis was, for 18 years and until 30 December 2010, owner and chairman of Olympiacos, the most successful football club in Greece. The period of his tenure brought the Piraeus club a haul of 12 top division titles, five Greek Cups, and one Greek Super Cup. It was also during the Kokkalis era that Olympiakos leased from the Greek state and for a period of 50 years their homeground Karaiskakis Stadium, which was until that time used by Olympiakos and other Piraeus clubs strictly on a rental basis, and undertook a complete rebuilding of the stadium itself.

Controversies
German authorities' investigations in the Stasi archives found a 350-page report referring to agent "Rocco" ("953/63"). It was alleged that "Rocco" was the code name for Sokratis Kokkalis, allegedly recruited on 25 January 1963. Kokkalis was alleged to have subsequently bribed Greek officials in order for the national telecommunications company of Greece to purchase East German telecommunications equipment.

Kokkalis was investigated and gave evidence on allegations about his possible involvement in espionage, fraud and money laundering and two alleged misdemeanours of soliciting and giving bribes. Eventually, there was no indictment, due to the statute of limitations having expired.

The Greek businessman was also involved in allegations about fraud in Russia, where his company, Intralot, had sold lottery equipment, technological know-how and software. No formal charges were ever filed for any Intralot representative.

Honors
Socratis Kokkalis was made a John Harvard fellow in 1997, and received awards from The Fulbright Foundation and the American Academy of Achievement for "his leadership in creating educational opportunities and building bridges of cooperation."