The deputy mayor responsible for urban planning and construction in the port city of Piraeus, Dimitris Arapis, has filed a lawsuit, injunction request, and criminal complaint against Solomon and three of its journalists, demanding the removal of a Greek-language investigation into a major real estate development project.
Solomon and three of its journalists are facing legal action from a deputy mayor in the Greek port city of Piraeus over an investigation into a major real estate development project.
Dimitris Arapis, the deputy mayor responsible for urban planning and construction, has filed a cease and desist order, interim measures proceedings – including a request for a temporary injunction to force the removal of the investigation from Solomon’s website – and a criminal complaint.
The investigation focused on a large-scale development that includes hundreds of apartments, offices, shops, and commercial spaces across a former industrial area in Piraeus – and the potential conflict of interest involving Arapis’ public role and private work for the developer.
The investigation, published in Greek, found that while Arapis oversaw the municipal department involved in approving the project, he was also working privately as a civil engineer for the company behind the development.
According to public records reviewed by Solomon, Arapis handled engineering work and permit-related applications for the development of its subsidiaries during the same period that the project was moving through municipal approval procedures.
The reporting raises legitimate public-interest questions about a possible conflict of interest involving a public official overseeing urban planning decisions while also maintaining a professional relationship with the project developer.
Before publication, the newsroom contacted both Arapis and the mayor of Piraeus for comment but received no response. The company behind the project did respond, and its position was included in the article.
The legal action against Solomon seeks financial penalties and restrictions on future reporting about Arapis. It also included a request for a temporary court order forcing Solomon to take the article offline before the case is heard.
A Greek court rejected that request on 19 May, 2026, allowing the investigation to remain online. A hearing on the injunction request is scheduled for October.
The case bears the characteristics of a SLAPP – a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation – a legal tactic used to intimidate journalists and discourage reporting on matters of public interest.
Other media outlets in Greece have recently faced similar legal pressures, including lawsuits against MIIR and the newspaper EFSYN, as well as independent journalist Babis Babis Polychroniadis. This raises broader concerns among press freedom organizations about the use of lawsuits to silence investigative reporting.
Solomon will continue defending investigative journalism and the public’s right to information on issues of public interest.
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