Lavreotika

The Lavrion issue (Greek: Λαυρεωτικό ζήτημα, romanized: Lavreotiko zitima), most commonly known as the Lavreotika (Λαυρεωτικά, 'Lavrion Affair') was the legal dispute between the French-Italian mining company Roux - Serpieri - Fressynet CIE and the Greek state regarding the exploitation of Lavrion mines.

The parliamentary opposition, headed by Epameinondas Deligeorgis, brought this issue to discussion stating that the company had mining rights but not rights to the leftovers already in the surface (Note: in Greek the word for mining is εξόρυξη which literally means "bring a mineral out of the Earth").

The government of Alexandros Koumoundouros, after pressure by both the opposition and the public opinion legislated strict rules and high taxation for the profit coming from the exploitation of the ekvolades.

During the negotiations and the legal dispute, a rumor that gold existed in the mines was propelled both by the government and by Syggros.

The prices of the stocks skyrocketed due to the rumor about gold in the mines and the consequent view of this behavior as a fast way to wealth.