An investigation by the Financial Crimes Squad (SDOE) has led to the discovery of large-scale illegal trade and customs fraud believed to have deprived the Greek state of millions of euros.
In one of its biggest recent breakthroughs, SDOE traced a warehouse in Gerakas, northeast of Athens, which is purported to have loaded 16 containers full of cigarettes onto a ship at the port of Elefsina in November 2010 but actually issued bogus invoices while distributing millions of packets of contraband cigarettes, robbing the state of some 15 million euros in unpaid customs charges and tariffs.
The Gerakas raid was carried out following a tip-off from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) by SDOE officers who indicated that customs officials had colluded in the scam. One official allegedly claimed to have registered the nonexistent containers being loaded onto the Maja.
He and other suspected ring members are the focus of a probe currently being handled by financial prosecutor Grigoris Peponis.
Austerity is out after the euro-area recession extended to a sixth quarter. Stimulus isn’t yet in.
That was the something-for-everyone message from European leaders at a summit in Brussels W...
The moment of truth is approaching for Greece, Ireland, and other countries under fiscal adjustment programs. In an interview with Kathimerini, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the president of the Euro...
PAOK recovered some of the ground lost in the Super League playoffs by beating fellow Champions League-spot contender Asteras 2-1 at Tripoli on Wednesday, while PAS Giannina and Atromitos sh...
The league that in the last three years has produced the European basketball champion entered its playoffs on Tuesday and Wednesday with the first games of the quarterfinal round, with AGO R...
Far-right Golden Dawn has been catapulted onto center stage of Greek politics. That’s almost an achievement for the post-1974 political system that emerged from the collapse of a pathetic mi...
A growing number of European Union leaders and officials are now suggesting that next year will most probably see a significant write-down on Greek debt.
The country’s partners are clearly a...
