In Brief
AID RETURNED
About 120 people give back fire relief cash they claimed ‘illegally’ Some 120 people in the Peloponnese yesterday returned more than 350,000 euros they had claimed in emergency relief for those affected by wildfires last week, following the threat of immediate jail terms for anyone found to have obtained the 3,000-euro cash payments unlawfully. Three Roma men were given 3.5-year jail sentences on Friday after being found guilty of claiming the aid when they were not eligible. This led to more than 80 people returning money to the tax office in Amaliada and another 30 handing the relief payments back to tax officials in Pirgos yesterday. Meanwhile, 10 people were given jail terms of four to six months in Pirgos for defrauding the state and making false statements. They have appealed. ANCIENT OLYMPIA Work under way to restore site after damage caused by wildfire Soldiers, restorers and some 30 museum staff are working at Ancient Olympia to put things right after the destruction caused by a forest fire more than a week ago, Museum Director Georgia Hadzi told Kathimerini yesterday. Some of the site, including the sacred Hill of Kronos, was badly damaged by the blaze, but Hadzi said that work is well under way to restore the area and protect it from flooding. She insisted that the site’s fire prevention system worked during the blaze but was not powerful enough to prevent the flames from reaching the site. Hadzi added that 3,100 people visited the museum on Sunday and that some 300 Chinese businessmen handed over a 60,000-euro check to help restore the area. POLICE PROTEST Officers want firefighter bonus Police officers are considering holding a protest rally in Thessaloniki during the city’s international fair, which opens on Saturday, to demand a 2,500-euro bonus payment that was paid to firefighters. The Panhellenic Confederation of Police Employees (POASY) said it has not decided where or when the rally will be held. Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras said it is «unethical» for POASY to protest for the bonus. The ministry indicated that it would consider their demands after the elections. Swoop for arrest Police said yesterday that they have arrested a 38-year-old man who they believe masterminded the escape from Korydalos Prison by helicopter of two criminals last year. The unnamed man is a known underworld figure, officers said, and was arrested in Aspropyrgos, west of Athens. He allegedly organized the escape of Vassilis Palaiocostas and Alket Rizai and helped them hide out afterward. Patriarch suit Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios has vowed to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights over Turkey’s confiscation of assets belonging to the Istanbul-based Patriarchate. «We will claim that which belongs to us and will not tolerate injustices,» the patriarch said late on Sunday following a church service. Vartholomaios pledged «to seek what we have lost and protect what we have left so that our tradition and history in this land of our fathers can continue.» The patriarch condemned Turkish authorities’ practice of «arbitrarily taking one asset after another.» Fires rally A rally, in protest at the government’s ineffectiveness in tackling the recent deadly fires, is to start outside the entrance to Athens University at 7 p.m. today. The rally is being organized by the country’s main labor union GSEE, the main civil servant union ADEDY, the union of retired firemen and leftist groups. Protesters are calling for immediate relief for people who have lost their homes and livelihoods, the immediate reforestation of ravaged areas and the revocation of plans to review Article 24 of the Constitution regarding the classification of forestland. Green snub The environmental protection group WWF Hellas yesterday refuted any connection with Spyros Kouvelis, a candidate on opposition PASOK’s ticket in forthcoming elections who has played up his environmental sensitivities. «We call on all parties to respect the political independence of WWF,» the group said in a statement, adding that it would «not allow our name and action to be exploited.» On PASOK’s homepage, Kouvelis claimed to have been head of WWF Hellas from 1995-1997. The group said that this was untrue but that Kouvelis had headed up it’s environmental programs unit during this period.
