Dozens of police linked to citizenship racket
The Hellenic Police’s Internal Affairs Division rounded up 34 police officers on Tuesday as part of a long investigation into an illegal citizenship racket.
The ongoing inquiry found the racket provided foreign nationals, most of whom had criminal records, with forged passports and IDs, with prices starting from 30,000 euros. It had been active since at least April 26, 2013, consisting mainly of ethnic Greeks from the former USSR, police and other civil servants.
Twenty people have been arrested, including nine active police officers, a Citizens’ Protection Ministry employee, a registry officer, a lawyer and eight civilians. Most of the officers are reportedly connected to police stations in West Attica.
In another twist on Tuesday, reports indicated that a 37-year-old man of Albanian origin murdered at a gas station in the Piraeus district of Nikaia on November 16 had been issued an ID by the ring to buy the business.
