Greece’s authority against money laundering on Wednesday proceeded to freeze the bank accounts, real estate, stocks and other assets owned by a suspected criminal gang of foreign nationals and the firms which they had set up, nominally as construction contractors, who are believed to have cost the Greek state upward of 100 million euros.
The order was given by the head of the authority, former Supreme Court Deputy Prosecutor Charalambos Vourliotis, while a report outlining the ‘pathways’ of the black money was sent to the prosecutors’ office.
Some 40 foreign nationals, mainly from Balkan countries, and 15 companies which they had founded are suspected of being part of the ring.
Only three of the companies operated legally, while the rest were intermediary or shell companies.
The turnover of suspect transactions from 2020-2023 was an estimated 16,500,000 euros, in addition to 1.5 million euros received from a financial assistance program.
Citing sources, state-run news agency amna reported that the suspects had posed as genuine business people and built up debts to the Greek public sector amounting to hundreds of thousands of euros, as well as receiving 1.5 million euros in grants on the pretext of setting up innovative enterprises. The total damage to the state exceeds 100 million euros.
Based on the report sent to the prosecutor, they have committed five criminal offenses that include forming a criminal organization, tax evasion, defrauding the state, non-payment of debts to the state and money-laundering.
The ring operated in Athens, Western Macedonia, Larisa, Kozani, Magnesia, Corinth and in other Greek cities. [amna.gr]