Military dodgers examined
The government will crack down on an alleged scam possibly used by thousands of men to dodge their compulsory military service, said Defense Minister Evangelos Meimarakis, as the ministry plans to re-examine 28,000 exemptions. «We are ready to stamp out all cases of corruption. We will not let anyone get away with it,» he said on Saturday. «All Greek citizens have the same obligations to their country,» the minister added. His comments follow news on Friday that the head of Greece’s public prosecution service, Giorgos Koliocostas, ordered a probe after an army lieutenant colonel was arrested on December 26 while allegedly stealing documents from a draft office. These allegedly included genuine exemption certificates that could later be doctored. State television, quoting senior military officials, said the arrest would lead to to the re-examination of some 28,000 exemptions from military service dating back to 1997.
