There might be something good in the Greek crisis. Under the pressure of cash shortages, people start to talk, to speak out and tip off the police about civil servants blackmailing citizens for the aim of getting bribes. On the other hand, more and more news are coming out about civil servants with unjustified assets worth more millions euro. The bribes system seem to collapse. News about civil servants who got rich through bribes or fraud certainly please the debt- and tax-ridden Greeks. Most of all, these news please the government aiming to prove that it finally cleans the ‘Augean stables’ of the public sector. Especially now, when the early elections near and the two big parties cannot promise their voters ‘work places in the public sector’. Another bonus has to be given, if that is to combat corruption. A significant governmental work. And yet. When the elections are over what will happen? Will the state finally establish effective mechanisms to control its own employees? And what happens with the fraudsters in the public service? Will they be dismissed without right to pension? But most important: Will they be forced to hand the bribes to the state registers?
Then the time to punish corrupt politicians must come. Oops! First the laws that protect them have to change 🙂 It’s all a matter of political will.
Civil Servants’ Bank Accounts hiding millions of euro
Inspectors of Financial Crimes Units (SDOE) of Finance Ministry revealed bank accounts of civil servants who had assets worth millions of euros and could not justify them through their real income. Lifting the banking secrecy, the government auditors found out that a clerk at the Court of Athens had 8 million euro. An employee at the Aegean Forest Service had deposits worth one million euro. An employee at the Urban planning more than half a million euro. 40 doctors working at the National Health Service had bank deposits and undeclared assets. (news247.gr)
Four million euro here, two million euro there, one million euro in baby nappies box… Public servants that manage a real economic miracle: to build villas with swimming pool and live a high life while their only official income is 2,000-3,000 euro per month. The latest example of corruption and bribe came two days ago, when the owner of a company tipped off the police, on two officials at the Development Ministry who were asking a 2.5% commission on the investment sum.
Development Ministry officials Arrested for…
Two Development Ministry officials have been arrested on suspicion of soliciting a 120,000-euro bribe from two businessmen set to make a 4.7-million-euro investment in the Peloponnese.
The two employees, both 61, were employed in the ministry’s private investment department and were responsible for assessing whether projects could qualify for state funding.
The pair had allegedly demanded the under-the-table payment from two brothers who owned a hotel in Argolida and were thinking of making a further investment.
One of the brothers tipped off the police and a sting was set up to trap the pair.
They arranged to meet one of the businessmen on Tuesday at Kerameikos metro station in Athens, where they were both arrested after accepting marked banknotes.
Officers said that a search of the suspects’ homes revealed they were storing a total of 155,000 euros in cash.
Police said that anyone who has similar cases of corrupt civil servants to report should call 210.647.6823. or e-mail [email protected]. (Kathimerini)
Meanwhile, some Greeks who had plans to set up their own business and had hoped for state funding have stopped wondering why they never got this money.
This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg…..the majority lies hidden beneath the surface. BUT, this is an excellent start!
I so hope you are right KTG that this awful crisis has at least this positive effect.
I think we all know too many examples just like this. I know of at least one more case where someone had a subsidy for a huge investment granted and he is still waiting for a large part of that sum.
But most of the times things are not that clear cut. There were several times that we wanted to file for an EU-supported investment grant only to find that every time the program was already fully subscribed before it officially started. It’s clear what happened there. And these are just a couple of things of the many cases I have personal knowledge off or experienced.
In all these cases nobody ever asked for money. I guess because the grants themselves were enough to fill pockets all around.
These civil servants should be brought to justice and if found guilty indeed lose their jobs and their pension rights. They also should pay the whole amount with interest or a fine. And if the Greek justice system can’t handle this then it is time to call in Europol and create some kind of international tribunal.
so it is, Antonis. We all know of friends on the waiting list, or have personal experiences. Europol tribunal? not bad idea, if our bodies prove unable to handle with these issues.
That reminds me of the new laws against tax fraud in Germoney the last years. They put some celebrities onto the media pillary but at least they did all these laws against the small enterprises to teach them discipline (do you think any cabdriver in Germoney is forced to write a recipe like in Greece? These cabbies will laugh at you cuz it takes time to write and means one or two deliveries less) and hunt these folks for whom the tax laws are too antisocially written and who don’t have money for specialists.
Example: If you’re accussed of any crime and the police invites you, you have no duty to go there but tax laws are totally different, they can also force you to take a lawyer you can’t even pay.
Regarding the article: Only totally naive jerks leave that money findable and if the propaganda is right about corruption Greece will need new prisons and then you’ll need new teams for doing their jobs. So it’s just impossible to put them all to jail and if you get to a point of view “like a society without prisons” you might think about totally new solutions like who will do the job if not the people?
Believe in this system and vote allowed parties won’t change anything unless you don’t have Allende.
when laws say cabdrivers should issue recipts, when there is a machine tha tprints them. No driver writes one. and cabdrivers would issue recipts since ages in Germany.
Here here!!! well said Antonis! From your lips to God’s ears… 🙂
Well, this has to be one of the more encouraging posts which I have seen in a long time! Some time ago I made my own unorthodox proposal how to deal with tax evasion. Below it is!
http://klauskastner.blogspot.com/2011/10/greek-tax-evasion-possible-solution.html
thank you Klaus!
Klaus, your humor and mine seem to differ, but your suggestion is spot on.
I hate it to read constantly in the Greek press and a lot of blogs all these anonymized stories or indirectness. I would applaud any media who would have the guts to name names, so we all know who these people are.
A good development in this is that the public prosecution has decided now several times to lift the restriction on naming accused in high level fraud affairs. But the name and shaming should be extended to politics and journalism as well.
“Four million euro here, two million euro there, one million euro in baby nappies box”, that soon adds up to serious money! 🙂
Seriously, if the Inpsectors can get hold of the money, that would both help reduce the defict and at the same time work as a warning sign that corruption is less likely to pay off anymore. That’s encouraging news, indeed!
Together with other reports about reasonable deregulation and more efforts to attract investors, this could be evidence that the modernisation process is finally gaining traction. Let’s cross fingers it doesn’t lose steam halfway thhrough.
And after all this (people fed up and at last will go to the police) then This http://www.skai.gr/news/politics/article/197649/limnazoun-oi-upotheseis-diafthoras-/ is how corruption cases are dealt with…
That’s one of the reasons why I think there need to be an international Tribunal to deal with it. Or else everything will stay as it was, for ever.