Tax officers face trial over blackmail charge
Two state tax officials were yesterday charged by a Thessaloniki court with fraud and bribe-taking after a sting operation led to the pair being allegedly caught red-handed with marked bills. The two men, who have not been named, were arrested after officers found marked banknotes in their possession which they had allegedly been given by a businessman they had blackmailed. Officers said that the tax officials had asked the entrepreneur for money – the exact amount was not made known – in return for changing the testimony they were going to give in court. The businessman was to stand trial for a number of tax violations which were found during investigations conducted by the same two men who were allegedly blackmailing him. The checks on the man’s accounts took place while the pair were working for the financial crimes squad.