Chris Papageorgiou, once described as the “godfather of the swimming pool industry”, has stepped down from his senior executive position after Our News Outlet reported that he had been charged with assaulting his former partner.
The father of two resigned as co-chief executive of pool supplies business Maytronics Australia after appearing in court earlier this month on serious assault charges.
Maytronics is a leading manufacturer of robotic pool cleaners and vacuum systems, with operations throughout Australia.
Papageorgiou appeared at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court earlier this month, where his bid to suppress case material was rejected after he was charged with assaulting his former partner.
His lawyer had applied for a suppression order that would have prevented the media from publishing material connected to the case. The application was refused after the court found it had no basis.
Reporters received an email alert about the application from the court on Wednesday afternoon, but when the matter came before the court the next day, the request was quickly dismissed.
Our reporter noted during the hearing that anyone seeking a suppression order in a Victorian court is required to provide three days’ notice. The rule is intended to uphold open justice by giving journalists the opportunity to be heard and challenge the application.
Separately, the Mail reported that Papageorgiou had been stood down from his co-CEO role before his court appearance in relation to matters unrelated to the assault charges.
Chris Papageorgiou resigned from Maytronics Australia after being charged with two counts of assault
The father of two has been charged with assaulting his former partner
Papageorgiou, left, reluctantly posed with a friend outside the court
It is understood Maytronics stood him down while investigating “allegations that have not yet been particularised”.
However, sources told Our News Outlet that Papageorgiou has since resigned after the allegations against him were made public.
The Mail contacted Maytronics seeking comment on the reasons for his resignation but received no response.
The alleged assaults were not detailed in court because the hearing centred on the suppression application. However, the Mail spoke to the complainant, who said the former couple first met as teenagers and dated for two years during their final years of high school before separating.
“He was my first love – my first everything,” said the former partner, whose identity Our News Outlet has withheld.
The pair reconnected in 2020 after Papageorgiou’s divorce, having unexpectedly encountered each other at a Melbourne café.
Their chance meeting eventually led to a serious relationship.
The legal matters involving Papageorgiou span two states. He is also alleged to have assaulted the woman while they were staying at Q Station, the former North Head Quarantine Station near Manly in Sydney, in November last year.
Papageorgiou resigned as co-CEO of Maytronics Australia, a leading manufacturer of robotic pool cleaners and vacuum systems operating across Australia
Papageorgiou’s legal matters span two states: it is also alleged he assaulted the woman while the couple was staying at Q Station, near Manly, Sydney, in November last year
The hotel is a heritage-listed retreat perched on the cliffs of North Head and surrounded by Sydney Harbour National Park.
Papageorgiou is due to face Manly court in person at a later date over one assault charge.
The relationship is believed to have finally unravelled in March this year outside Papageorgiou’s home in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburb of Bentleigh East.
Papageorgiou was subsequently charged with unlawful assault. The alleged Bentleigh East incident is related to the charges being heard at Moorabbin Court.
The woman further alleges that in April he attended Mykonos Restaurant in Oakleigh in an attempt to locate her.
‘In April he turned up to Mykonos Restaurant in Oakleigh to find me. I asked him to leave, which he initially did; however, he returned approximately one minute later,’ she said.
Papageorgiou, who did not respond to our request for comment, will face court at a later date.
