Prominent lawyer and sports personality Alexis Kougias dies at 74
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
Greek criminal lawyer Alexis Kougias passed away at the age of 74 after a prolonged hospitalisation in the intensive care unit of a private hospital.
Kougias had been admitted two weeks ago with a high fever, but his condition deteriorated, leading to his intubation. He had been fighting cancer in recent months.
Born on January 1, 1951, Kougias studied law at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki before graduating from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He was admitted to the Athens Bar Association on March 10, 1980, and participated in over 25,000 trials throughout his career.
Kougias was involved in several high-profile cases, including the trial of the Pallini Satanists, the November 17 terrorist group, and the defense of the truck driver in the 2003 Tempi accident that claimed 21 student lives. He also represented clients in cases such as the murder of Alkis Kampanos and the rape and murder of Eleni Topaloudi. In 2008, he defended special guard Epaminondas Korkoneas, responsible for the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos. More recently, he was part of the legal team in the trial of actor Dimitris Lignadis, accused of multiple sexual assaults.
Beyond his legal career, Kougias was actively involved in Greek football, serving as president of various clubs, including AEK, PAS Giannina, and Panachaiki. He had also played football at an amateur level before an accident sidelined his career.
At the age of 32, Kougias married his first wife, who tragically died in a car accident just two months later. In 2001, he wed former Miss Greece and TV presenter Evi Vatidou, with whom he had two children. The couple divorced in 2007 following allegations of domestic violence from Vatidou.
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