Greek former Defense minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos along with other 18 defendants went on trial on Monday over charges of receiving kickbacks for multi-billion-euro armament purchase contracts and money laundering.

This is the first case against a prominent politician in the country in over two decades.

Appearing before the Athens Appeal Court at the premiere of his trial a year after his arrest and detention in prison, 73-year old Tsochatzopoulos denied any wrongdoing.

He claimed that prosecution against him was politically motivated and that he was being turned into a scapegoat for chronic corruption in debt- laden Greece.

Serving as Defense Minister from 1996 to 2001 during socialist PASOK party governments, the former official allegedly received at least 50 million euros (65.24 million US dollars) in bribes by German and Russian companies to "facilitate" the sales of some two-billion-euro worth German submarines and one-billion-euro worth Russian anti- missile defense systems to Greece.

According to the indictment, in addition, Tsochatzopoulos, aided by family members including s his ex-wife, current spouse and his daughter, as well as lawyers and businessmen, concealed the kickbacks via offshore companies he used for real estate transactions.

Among these real estate transactions was the purchase of a luxurious home under the Acropolis hill four years ago, which he did not properly declare to tax authorities, leading to his separate prosecution for tax evasion and conviction to eight years in March this year. The house was confiscated.

If he was found guilty for the corruption, Tsochatzopoulos faces a sentence of up to 20 years. The proceedings are expected to last at least a month, according to legal experts, as dozens of witnesses are due to testify.

According to Greek media reports, Tsochatzopoulos' lawyers will try to show that he did not bear sole responsibility for the armament procurement deals. They have asked that other members of the Government Council which approved the contracts, and included the then Prime Minister Costas Simitis and other key ministers, to appear in court.

Tsochatzopoulos' case is the first trial of a key political figure in Greece since 1991, when a group of prominent politicians, including former Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, went on trial over a bribery scandal involving a banker.