Greece’s financial crimes units (SDOE) seem to be on duty 24/7 to capture big scale debtors and give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – translated into modern Greek: Give to the state the taxes one owes. Despite the holiness and the glory of the religious Epiphany celebrations, the chairman of the Association of Agricultural Cooperatives in Farsala was arrested while he was attending in a local church the magnificent ceremony of blessing the waters.
The man’s debts to the state are amounting €909,000. The SDOE units had handed him out a relevant tax ticket ten days ago but was hiding to avoid the flagrant procedure. As the apparently religious man made an appreance in the church, the handcuffs were quick around his arm wrists.
Chasing big scale debtors is a duty that Greece’s financial crimes units takes very seriously. More than 3,000 people have been arrested in the last two months for owing the state more than 150,000 euro. However in most of the cases, the captured tax-non-payers get free on bail after a night or two in detention cell.
