Sokratis Kokkalis facts for kids

Sokratis Kokkalis (Greek: Σωκράτης Κόκκαλης; born 1939) is a well-known Greek businessman. He is the founder and a main owner of Intracom Holdings, a big technology company.

He is the son of Petros Kokkalis. Sokratis spent his younger years as a political refugee in East Germany. He moved back to Greece permanently in 1965.

During the 1990s and 2000s, his company, Intracom, became very important in Greece. It was a major supplier for government projects, especially in the growing field of IT. Intracom helped modernize the Greek telecommunications network. They also installed the national "TAXIS" tax system. The company set up the online computer network for OPAP, a gaming organization. They also built network systems for mobile phone companies. Intracom was involved in providing IT equipment for the 2004 Athens Olympics. They also worked on big railway and road construction projects for the government.

Sokratis Kokkalis became even more famous when he took over Olympiacos F.C. in 1993. The football club was going through a tough time back then. During his 10 years as president, he helped Olympiacos become strong again. He laid the groundwork for the club's future success in Europe.

In 2001, he was listed among the world's richest people by Forbes. His estimated wealth was around US$1.2 billion.

Early Life and Family

Sokratis Kokkalis was born in Athens, Greece, on May 27, 1939. He was the first child of Petros Kokkalis (1896-1962) and Niki Kouletsi (1913-1997). His father was a famous doctor, and his mother was a teacher. He also had a sister named Avgi-Polyxeni.

He spent some of his childhood in Fourna, Evritania. His father was involved in the Political Committee of National Liberation (PEEA) during that time. After the German occupation ended, his family returned to Athens. However, his parents' involvement in the Greek Civil War led them to leave Greece. They moved to Belgrade, where Sokratis and his sister went to school.

In 1949, his family reunited in Romania as political refugees. In 1955, they moved to East Berlin. There, his father became a director at the German Academy of Sciences. Sokratis finished high school and then studied physics at the Mikhail Lomonosov State University. He completed his studies at Humboldt University. He earned a degree in physics, specializing in telecommunications and electronic technology. In 1963, he started working as an electronic engineer for East German television.

Sokratis Kokkalis returned to Greece briefly when his father passed away in 1962. During this visit, he met Greek business people. He decided he wanted to work in the business side of his academic field.

In 1965, he was able to settle in Greece permanently. He regained his Greek citizenship with help from a politician named Athanasios Papageorgiou. From then on, he started his business activities, working between East Germany and Greece.

He married twice. His first marriage was in 1969 to Sophia Skouras. They had a son named Petros Kokkalis in 1970. Later, he married Eleni Farmaki-Kokkali. They had two sons, Konstantinos and Socratis Jr. Socratis Kokkalis Jr. passed away in 2018.

Building Businesses

Sokratis Kokkalis began his business ventures in Greece in 1967. He was welcomed by the business community, especially those connected with the Centre Union party. He partnered with Aris Voudouris to create a company called "GIMEX" in February 1967. This company focused on trading electrical engineering and transportation machines. They represented East German companies. They made important deals, like providing telephone equipment to the PPC network. They also delivered large excavators for a lignite mine in Ptolemaida in the late 1970s.

Their partnership ended in 1974. Kokkalis then started a new company called "INTEGRA" with Konstantinos Dimitriadis. Thanks to his connections, the company did very well. Their main clients were OTE (the Greek telecommunications company) and PPC (the electricity company).

In 1977, Kokkalis, along with Dimitriadis, founded "INTRAKOM S.A." The company started with only 10 employees. They assembled telecommunications parts and had a small initial capital. From 1977 to 1982, Intrakom grew. They began designing, developing, and making their own telecommunications products. They reinvested most of their profits back into the company.

When the Left party, PASOK, came to power in 1981, Sokratis Kokkalis developed a special relationship with the new government. Because of his father's background and his own connections, he was seen as a supportive figure. The new government treated him favorably.

A big opportunity for Sokratis Kokkalis came in the mid-1980s. Greece decided to modernize its national telecommunications network. This involved updating it with digital technology. According to a 1977 law, international companies could bid for government contracts if they owned at least 30% of a Greek company. This led to a long-term partnership between INTRAKOM and SIEMENS.

The agreements with OTE brought in a lot of money for both Siemens and Intracom. It is estimated that these deals, including extensions, generated about EUR 2 billion in total. Intracom earned around EUR 1.1 billion from these projects.

Kokkalis's next big move was creating "INTRALOT" in 1992. In 1993, it started working with OPAP, the Greek organization for games of chance. Intralot took over the production and management of KSISTO (scratch cards) in a joint venture. Between 1993 and 2003, Kokkalis's company managed a large amount of money through KSISTO.

In 1999, Intralot's subsidiary, "Betting Company S.A.", began managing football betting for OPAP. This included providing all the necessary equipment. The game 'PAME STOIXIMA' became very popular. It brought in significant revenue for both Intralot and OPAP.

In 2000, the total sales of the Intracom group were 242.1 million. By 2003, the group's sales reached 316.6 million.

In 2013, Kokkalis decided to step down from the board of directors of Intracom. His son, Konstantinos (Dinos) Kokkalis, was appointed to the board. He also left his role as chairman of the group that year. Dimitris Klonis became the new chairman. This was seen as a step back from daily business operations. It seemed to prepare the way for his sons to take over. However, after the passing of Socratis Kokkalis Jr. and some business challenges, Sokratis Kokkalis returned in 2019. He became the executive chairman at Intracom Holdings again.

Kokkalis then changed the focus of the Intracom Group. He sold many of its smaller companies, such as "INTRAKAT", "INTRASOFT" International, and "INTRAKOM DEFENCE". The company also changed into a listed private equity fund. This means it now focuses on investing in other companies. Kokkalis explained this change by saying that financial investments have become more important than traditional production.

Leading Sports Teams

Sokratis Kokkalis first became involved with Olympiacos in 1991. He became the president of the basketball team. After the Greek national team won the 1987 Eurobasket, basketball became very popular in Greece. Kokkalis made important changes and hired great coaches like Giannis Ioannidis and Dušan Ivković. These decisions helped the team succeed in both Greek and European championships. For the first time, the team won five Greek championship titles in a row (1993-1997). They also won three cup victories and the Champions Cup in 1997.

He stepped down as president of the basketball team in 2004. This was due to disagreements with the head of the Hellenic Basketball Federation. The Angelopoulos brothers later took over the team's financial responsibilities. They managed the team with Kokkalis until around 2010, when they took full control.

In 1993, he also took control of the football team. This was a very important time for the club. The team was facing many challenges due to past financial issues. In March 1992, a new Board of Directors was appointed for Olympiacos FC. Sokratis Kokkalis was a member. The club's large debts were managed through new laws.

In March 1993, Kokkalis became the president of the football club. During his time, the club paid back a significant amount of its old debts to the Greek State.

Under his leadership, the club won a total of 37 Greek Championships and 24 Greek Cups. The team's facilities also improved. A new training center was built in Rentis, and the new Karaiskakis Stadium was constructed. This stadium was very modern for its time.

The financial crisis in Greece starting in 2009 led the Kokkalis family to reduce costs. They also looked for other business people to invest in Olympiacos. When this didn't happen, he sold his main share to Evangelos Marinakis on June 18, 2010.

Connections to East German Intelligence

Historical records show that Sokratis Kokkalis was first approached by the Stasi (East Germany's intelligence agency) in January 1963. He agreed to share information about people he knew. In return, he was allowed to do some small-scale trade between West and East Berlin. At that time, he worked as a technician for East German television.

When he visited Greece in 1962 for his father's funeral, he discussed with a Stasi agent the idea of living in Greece and building business ties between Greece and East Germany.

He moved to Greece permanently in 1965. His role as an informant ended that year. The file on him, code-named "Rocco," was officially closed in December 1968.

Later information suggests that Kokkalis continued to have connections with the Stasi. He is mentioned in a decoded file from 1998, identified by the code names "Kaskade" and "Krokus."

In 1985, he was reportedly involved in helping East Germany get around technology restrictions. This involved transferring Western technology and knowledge.

He was known as "Crocus" during the final period of these connections, which lasted until 1989.

Investigations and Findings

In 1996, after Germany was reunified, a special commission was set up. Its goal was to find and take back assets that belonged to the former East German ruling party, even if they had been moved to private individuals. As part of this, the funding of INTRACOM was investigated. This is when the connection between Sokratis Kokkalis and the Stasi was first revealed.

The investigation did not find strong evidence of wrongdoing. The commission's final report in May 1998 stated that Sokratis Kokkalis was approached by the Stasi in 1963. However, the documents did not show that he actively worked as an informant or committed to it. Also, it could not be proven that his companies, Integra and Intrakom, were linked to East German assets. No evidence was found to suggest that the East German government or party was involved in his companies.

In 2002, a Greek journalist published documents that seemed to link Sokratis Kokkalis to the East German intelligence service. These claims led to a legal investigation in Greece. In 2003, the investigation concluded that some of the accusations were too old to be prosecuted. For other accusations, the investigation ended in 2007 without further action.