Former Connecticut official Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis, 70, fled to Greece before his sentencing for a 21-count bribery and extortion conviction. Prosecutors said he accepted thousands of dollars from firms seeking publicly funded school construction contracts, and that he had travelled via Florida, the Bahamas and London while on a $500,000 bond. His flight could expose him to further legal consequences and has prompted officials to say he must be held accountable.

Speaking from Greece in a video interview with Connecticut broadcaster WTNH, Diamantis denied wrongdoing and claimed his conviction was part of a political conspiracy linked to scrutiny of Governor Ned Lamont’s administration. Prosecutors cited guilty pleas from witnesses and a text message in which Diamantis allegedly threatened to replace a contractor unless he was paid, while a former prosecutor dismissed his claims as unsupported. Diamantis’s defence maintained that the payments were for legitimate legal services and introductions rather than bribes.