ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ
Political connections, controversial credentials and the unanswered questions behind Greece’s energy deals. All in the Family? The Diamataris DEPA appointment his newspaper, The National Herald, did not announce. Why?
By Nick Stamatakis
On September 4, 2024, Antonis H. Diamataris, longtime owner of Ethnikos Kirikas (The National Herald), was appointed president of DEPA Commercial, one of Greece’s most strategically important energy companies. DEPA formally announced his appointment, yet the Greek-American newspaper he has owned since 1979, including its English-language edition launched in 1997, apparently did not consider the news worthy of a standalone report. A few days ago, he was promoted from Board member to President.
A passing reference appeared in a commentary, but there is no dedicated announcement to be found. The apparent silence is particularly striking given the newspaper’s history of prominently publicizing Diamataris’s earlier government appointments.
Why would a publisher who once welcomed publicity around his many (ALL under Kyriakos Mitsotakis) public appointments suddenly become so discreet about what may be his most consequential role?
PHOTO: When Diamataris finally got his MBA after almost 40 years, he rushed to Mitsotakis to show off… This is how the Greek press interpreted it – rightfully so.
The degrees that arrived after the scandal
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appointed Diamataris as deputy foreign minister for the Greeks abroad in July 2019, but he resigned that December after revelations that he did not possess the Columbia University MBA listed in his official biography. Subsequent scrutiny raised equally troubling questions about his undergraduate degree from Queens College.
As Helleniscope highlighted in its April 18, 2026 editorial, the controversy extended well beyond an inflated résumé. Diamataris eventually received his degrees more than four decades after his original studies, reportedly in 2020 and 2021, well after the scandal that forced his resignation. Although Diamataris maintained that he had completed the academic requirements and disputed Columbia’s refusal to confer his MBA, the controversy also concerned his 1975 enrollment at Columbia without first earning his bachelor’s degree from Queens College.
After the 2019 debacle, Diamataris returned to public institutional life through appointments (ALL under Kyriakos Mitsotakis), including a seat on the Acropolis Museum board, and was eventually promoted to president of DEPA Commercial (where he previously served on the board), where Konstantinos Xifaras serves as CEO. That progression raises questions about the selection criteria and vetting procedures applied to politically connected appointees, particularly those whose previous government service ended under such circumstances.
All in the Mitsotakis family
Diamataris’s relationship with the Mitsotakis family is longstanding and well known. These ties have also been reinforced through his wife, Litsa Kalogera, reportedly a niece of the late Marika Mitsotakis.
Such personal connections (a book could be written about Diamataris’s ties to the Mitsotakis family, starting with Constantine Mitsotakis helping him buy the newspaper in 1977-79) make transparency around public appointments even more essential, especially when the appointee previously resigned from government amid controversy over his qualifications.
Who recommended Diamataris for DEPA’s chairmanship? Was there an independent assessment or competitive selection process, and what expertise justified his elevation to lead a company involved in major international energy transactions? (I – and all of us who know how the Greek political families work – can barely hold our laughter at this point). The questions become more consequential in light of what followed.
DEPA, AKTOR and the American LNG billions
In November 2025, DEPA Commercial joined forces with AKTOR to establish Atlantic SEE LNG Trade, a company designed to import American liquefied natural gas and distribute it through the Vertical Corridor into southeastern and eastern Europe. AKTOR controls 60% of the venture, while DEPA holds the remaining 40%.
The joint venture later signed a 20-year LNG supply agreement with American producer Venture Global and, in June 2026, expanded it to one million tonnes annually, placing the partnership at the center of an increasingly important regional energy strategy.
But the venture’s commercial and geopolitical significance makes its governance especially important. Who negotiated the 60–40 ownership structure, what financial assessment justified DEPA’s participation, and what role did its chairman play in evaluating and approving the arrangement?
Diversifying Europe’s energy supplies and expanding Greece’s regional influence are legitimate strategic objectives. However, they do not exempt major commercial decisions involving a state-backed company from independent scrutiny.
PHOTO: Guilfoyle between AKTOR CEO and allegedly main Mitsotakis “bagman” Mr. Exarhou (left) and Energy Minister Papastavrou. AKTOR owns 60% of DEPA, where Diamataris has served as a board member since Sept. 2024 and was promoted to president last week.
Guilfoyle and the diplomacy of big business
The American connection introduces another dimension. Until recently, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, enthusiastically promoted American LNG exports and the Vertical Corridor, placing her at the intersection of diplomacy and some of the region’s most significant energy deals.
A September 2026 Wall Street Journal investigation examined the relationship between her diplomatic activities, AKTOR’s commercial interests, and Christos Marafatsos, a lobbyist the Greek company retained. Both AKTOR and Guilfoyle’s representatives rejected suggestions of improper conduct.
On October 13, Guilfoyle resigned after the White House requested her departure amid further allegations of misconduct, including claims that she sought financial assistance from a political donor in exchange for access to influential administration figures. Guilfoyle denied wrongdoing.
Her departure does not establish misconduct within the AKTOR–DEPA partnership, but it renews attention to the relationships among diplomats, lobbyists, government officials, and private commercial interests operating around the same energy projects.
For Greece, the central question is whether transparent, independently scrutinized procedures governed DEPA’s participation, or whether political relationships exerted influence beyond what the public record reveals.
The silence that deserves an answer
Which brings us back to Diamataris and his newspaper.
When Mitsotakis appointed him deputy foreign minister in 2019, The National Herald gave the appointment prominent coverage, including front-page treatment. His subsequent return to public life, following the controversy over his academic credentials and the reported conferral of degrees decades after his original studies, also attracted favorable attention in the newspaper.
Yet his September 2024 appointment as chairman of DEPA apparently went unannounced, despite the company’s own formal press release. A thorough review of the newspaper’s print archives would be needed to confirm that omission, but the contrast with his earlier publicity remains conspicuous.
PHOTO (from the National Herald): Just a few weeks ago, his newspaper, TNH, announced “how proud” they were of his speech/introduction of Greek PM Mitsotakis during a Greek community event in New York. Were they not proud of his promotion to president of DEPA?
Why this sudden modesty? Diamataris has hardly cultivated a public reputation for shying away from recognition.
The question becomes particularly relevant because his elevation to DEPA (September 2024) preceded the company’s participation in a commercially significant partnership with AKTOR, supported by an American energy strategy and promoted by an ambassador whose own conduct subsequently became the subject of serious allegations.
What explains the newspaper’s apparent reluctance to publicize the appointment? What qualifications and relationships did the Mitsotakis government consider before selecting Diamataris? What documentation exists on the negotiations, approvals, and financial assessments behind DEPA’s partnership with AKTOR?
The answers should not depend on political connections, personal loyalties, or editorial discretion. They should be available through a transparent public record.
“All in the family” may aptly describe the network of longstanding relationships surrounding these appointments. What demands scrutiny is the apparent convergence of political proximity, public office, major commercial interests, and media ownership, with insufficient explanation for the decisions involved.
Sources and Documentation
- DEPA Commercial | September 4, 2024
Official Announcement: Antonis Diamataris Appointed Chairman of DEPA Commercial
DEPA’s formal announcement confirming Diamataris’s appointment as chairman. - DEPA Commercial | Official Biography
DEPA Management Team and Antonis Diamataris’s Academic Credentials
Official biography listing his degrees from Queens College and Columbia University, ownership of Ethnikos Kirikas/The National Herald, and position at the Acropolis Museum. - Helleniscope | April 18, 2026
Diamataris, Kontoleon, Lazaridis: The Mitsotakis Government’s “Best and Brightest” Without College Degrees
Critical examination of academic credential controversies involving appointees of the Mitsotakis government. - Poets&Quants | July 19, 2021
Man Sues Columbia Over MBA He Says He Earned But Never Received in the 1970s
Reporting on Diamataris’s Columbia MBA controversy, his undergraduate education and subsequent lawsuit. - AKTOR Group | November 5, 2025
AKTOR and DEPA Commercial Establish Atlantic SEE LNG Trade
The announcement establishes the LNG joint venture, with AKTOR holding 60% and DEPA Commercial 40%. - AKTOR Group | June 11, 2026
Atlantic SEE LNG Trade Expands Its Agreement with Venture Global
The long-term American LNG supply agreement expands to one million tonnes annually. - The Wall Street Journal | September 2026
The Mystery Man Shadowing Kimberly Guilfoyle as She Pushes Deals Across Europe
Investigation into Guilfoyle’s energy diplomacy, AKTOR’s commercial interests and lobbyist Christos Marafatsos. - The Wall Street Journal | October 2026
Kimberly Guilfoyle Resigns as U.S. Ambassador to Greece
Reporting on Guilfoyle’s departure amid allegations of misconduct. - Associated Press | October 2026
Trump Considers Removing Guilfoyle Following Reports of Improper Conduct
Additional reporting on the allegations and developments surrounding Guilfoyle’s diplomatic position.
October 17, 2026, www.helleniscope.com, n.stamatakis@aol.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
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