Jail looms for corrupt officers
Two coast guard officers were yesterday sentenced to more than three years in jail after being found guilty of accepting bribes to allow human traffickers to unload boatloads of illegal immigrants on the shores of Halkidiki, northern Greece. The two men, one a lieutenant commander, the other a junior lieutenant, were arrested last week after officers from the coast guard’s internal affairs department set up a sting operation. The lieutenant commander was in charge of the coast guard station at Neo Marmara in Halkidiki. An undercover officer pretending to be a migrant smuggler contacted the two officers and offered them 15,000 euros to ensure that coast guard boats would not patrol the route used by a vessel carrying immigrants from Turkey. The officer met with the two suspects, who accepted a cash advance of 3,000 euros in marked bills and were immediately arrested. The lower ranking officer was given a 3.5-year jail sentence. His superior was given three years and nine months in jail. Both were released pending an appeal.
