Version 1: Sat, Sep 6 2025
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ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ, Public Domain,
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My collection of recent corruption news stories from Greece:
Money Laundering via Betting
Public servants and Ministry directors “laundered” money through betting companies – Bets Up to €1 million; Over 200 people targeted by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue: The Authority has identified these 200 persons and has already started the audit, comparing their tax returns with the large sums they were gambling https://en.protothema.gr/2025/09/03/public-servants-and-ministry-directors-laundered-money-through-betting-companies-bets-up-to-e1-illion-over-200-people-targeted-by-the-independent-authority-for-public-rev/ - Proto Thema - Sep 3 - Archive https://archive.ph/sz0dg
The chairman of the Greek Anti-Money Laundering Authority, former Supreme Court deputy prosecutor Charalampos Vourliotis, has shut down the channels used to launder illicit funds through betting companies that operate legally but were being used to clean large amounts of dirty money.
Each gambler reportedly played and transferred amounts ranging from €100 up to €1,000,000. Among them were high-ranking public officials, including directors of ministries and public services, who could not justify the large sums they gambled through legal betting companies in sports betting.
This is potentially the most interesting recent case of corruption because the people involved are very well off, and with important state jobs. The Greek police should investigate their connections, school and colleges they went, whether they play golf and tennis together, as well as whether they are members of social clubs of ‘philathropic’ nature.
Fuel Smuggling
Greek authorities uncover cross-border fuel fraud scheme https://en.protothema.gr/2025/09/04/fuel-smuggling-ring-over-e3-million-in-profits-they-had-tampered-with-the-pumps/ - Proto Thema - Sep 4 - Archive https://archive.ph/V8qZn
Members of a fuel smuggling ring, dismantled by Greek authorities, managed to pocket more than €3,000,000 through their operations.
… At the top was a leadership core headed by a 38-year-old man, who notably shares the same surname as a member of the Greek Mafia who was murdered several years ago.
The network had bases in areas of Attica, Trikala, and Thessaloniki, with connections to unknown individuals in Poland, Bulgaria, and Albania. They imported solvents, adulterated fuels, tampered with pumps, and sold marine diesel to consumers seeking heating oil without receipts.
Organised Agricultural Subsidy Fraud and Corruption
Greece: The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) probes OPEKEPE officials over alleged organised agricultural subsidy fraud and corruption https://www.eppo.europa.eu/en/media/news/greece-eppo-probes-opekepe-officials-over-alleged-organised-agricultural-subsidy-fraud - European Public Prosecutor’s Office - 20 May 2025 - Archive https://archive.ph/Kap3z
Between 2019 and 2022, a significant number of individuals presented themselves as young or new farmers and obtained payment entitlements from the national reserve, funded by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), based on false declarations. These included misrepresentations about the ownership or lease of pasture lands eligible for subsidies, giving the false appearance of active farming activities.
In most cases, the pastures declared were in fact public lands, previously allocated only for use by livestock breeders who lacked private agricultural land. These pastures were often located far away from the actual place of residence of the individuals claiming to own or lease them.
In the following years, up to 2024, the same individuals continued to submit false declarations of livestock, enabling them to be allocated public grazing land, which was then used to activate and maintain their payment entitlements.
Such illegal practice may have been organised in a systematic manner with the involvement of members of the Board of Directors and officials of the Greek Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aids (OPEKEPE).
This started because of EU investigation not Greek government involvement. The government was forced to investigate and they control the pace of the announcement. Although the goverment is all about new tech including AI this could have been detected with simple database search, assuming they did not know about it at all which is the issue.
The Cretan Mafia
At least 48 people have been arrested involved mainly in drugs, guns trafficking. Also a curious case blackmailing a church figure resulting in the sale of choice piece of land to an Israeli fund.
Mafia in Crete: Money laundering – How the property of the Holy Monastery of Agia Triada was stolen https://en.protothema.gr/2025/09/02/mafia-in-crete-money-laundering-how-the-property-of-the-holy-monastery-of-agia-triada-was-stolen/ Archive https://archive.ph/rjdrN
Crete Mafia Scandal: Zorba’s Land Sold for Pennies https://greekcitytimes.com/2025/09/02/crete-mafia-scandal-zorbas-land-sold-for-pennies/ by Bill Giannopoulos - Greek City Times - Sep 2 - Archive https://archive.ph/7bVag
The mafia boss reportedly received 175 acres of prime coastal land as a payoff—land located right where the iconic 1964 film Zorba the Greek, starring Anthony Quinn, was shot.
My comment
Every year we have the Thessaloniki International Fair in which the prime minister announces economic policy changes including social benefits increases.
- The 89th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) will be a unique celebration for everyone, as it coincides with the 100th anniversary of the organization’s establishment in 1925 https://thessalonikifair.gr/en
The recent corruption news were timed to build up the PM’s appearance and neutralize the OPEKEPE scandal.
I maintain that the scandals in this country can be a source of inspiration for the film industry as in my previous post LLM: Make me a story!
Started: Sat, Sep 6 2025
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