Bounty hunters ‘enticed to kidnap’ fugitive James Dalamangas over NSW Police reward

Professional bounty hunters are being enticed into kidnapping Australia’s most wanted man by the offer of a police reward when Greek authorities can’t act against the fugitive, a lawyer has claimed.

Australia’s most wanted fugitive could be pursued by bounty hunters, with police offering a reward for his capture after formal attempts to detain, put him on trial locally or extradite him from his Athens bolt hole failed.

Greece rejected a bid to extradite James Dalamangas in 2003. File picture

In April this year, NSW Police stepped up the pursuit of James ‘Jim’ Dalamangas who fled to Athens in 1999 after the stabbing death of a Sydney father of two. He was also being sought for questioning over the shooting murder of a Kings Cross bouncer two years earlier.

But 24 hours after police made a fresh appeal and offered a $200,000 reward for information that could lead to his capture, the statute of limitations for a possible Greek arrest on an Australian warrant on such charges apparently lapsed and are now void.

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Constantine Karageorge, an Athens-based solicitor who has acted for some of Australia’s most notorious criminal identities, has accused police and the timing of their announcement as designed to entice professional bounty hunters to kidnap Dalamangas and take him across the border to another country such as Albania to claim a reward.

Mr Karageorge, who has studied the case brief and been in contact with the suspect, said Dalamangas had faced an extradition trial in 2003, but the Greek courts refused to hand him over on the grounds he was a Greek citizen. It had been available to the Australian government to have him tried in Greece by a Greek court, but that would likely have been for a lighter charge such as self defence second degree manslaughter instead of murder.

He said as far as he was aware this option was never pursued and since 20 years had now passed that opportunity was also closed.

Dalamangas is wanted over the murder of George Giannopoulos. Picture: Supplied

Lawyer Constantine Karageorge questions the timing of a police reward. Picture: Charles Miranda

“The bloke didn’t know or deliberately knife the good Samaritan victim, who got in front of Dalamangas who was protecting himself from another man,” Mr Karageorge told True Crime Australia.

“He could have been tried in Greece for this, but the Australians didn’t take that option and now its too late. As long as he is in Greece he has immunity against any request to put him on trial in Greece for the felony, which after 20 years is now too old. What NSW Police have done in making this appeal is to try and get bounty hunters or someone to get him in or to another country where he can be extradited. Greek police know where he lives and works, he has an AFM (tax file number) and police ID (citizens card), so don’t tell me no-one knows where he is.”

Mr Karageorge said he had not been in recent contact with Dalamangas nor formally represented him.

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Sydney man George Giannopoulos, 32, was stabbed twice and died while trying to intervene between two fighting patrons at a Belmore nightclub in Sydney’s west.

Dalamangas, a bouncer, is also wanted for questioning over the 1997 shooting murder of another Kings Cross bouncer Tim Voukelates.

“The $200,000 reward is available internationally, so we are urging anyone — whether in Australia, Greece, or wherever in the world — to come forward and assist us in our pursuit of justice for George and his family,” NSW Police said.

They declined to comment further, but rejected claims that Greek police were not actively seeking him and didn’t have the powers to arrest him.