Greece's anti-money laundering authority is considering unfreezing some bank accounts of the Pizza Fan chain so its shuttered stores can reopen and its 2,500 employees keep their jobs, even as the company's owner remains jailed in a major tax evasion case.
Charalambos Vourliotis, a retired Supreme Court deputy prosecutor who heads the authority, has been meeting company representatives to find a way for the business to resume operations, officials said.
All of the chain's roughly 110 stores closed after authorities froze assets linked to the investigation. Its owner, Konstantinos Antaras, was jailed pending trial this week.
Authorities allege the company used software to hide about 150 million euros ($174 million) in revenue and deprive the state of more than 35 million euros in taxes.
When the assets were frozen, Mr. Vourliotis excluded the company's payroll accounts so staff could still be paid.
Delivery workers are not included in the 2,500 figure.
Before lifting any further restrictions, the authority plans a detailed review of the company's finances, including wages, social security contributions, unpaid supplier invoices, operating costs and projected sales.
The authority is also reviewing a request from the Bread Factory bakery chain, whose accounts were frozen in a separate fraud probe.
Mr. Antaras is presumed innocent.