Announcement from Ministry of Civil Protection regarding break-up of criminal organisation involving tax officials and accountant
CORFU. They were involved in facilitating, carrying out or omitting procedures under the jurisdiction of tax authorities, as well as in extorting business owners in order to illegally obtain money.
The Ministry of Civil Protection issued the following announcement regarding the breaking up of a criminal organisation in Corfu:
"A criminal organisation made up of tax officials and an accountant, who were extorting business owners to extract sums of money, was broken up by the Internal Affairs Service of the Security Forces.
Five members were arrested, including the ringleader, while the case also involves four additional individuals.
Over €41,000, obtained from illegal activities, was seized.
The criminal organisation, consisting of tax officials and an accountant, was involved in facilitating, carrying out, or omitting procedures within the jurisdiction of tax authorities, as well as in extorting business owners to illegally obtain money.
A police operation to break up the criminal organisation took place on Thursday, October 10, on an island, resulting in the arrest of five members, four of whom were employees and one a private accountant. The case also implicates four more individuals.
They are being charged, as applicable, with criminal organisation, bribery and corruption of public officials, complicity in bribery, dereliction of duty, and joint extortion.
The investigation began following a complaint about the illegal activities of two Tax Office employees, who exploited their position to demand €60,000 from a business owner to settle his pending case.
During the investigation, special investigative techniques were used, along with evidence from the evaluation and analysis of information and preliminary data, with the help of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue. It was revealed that there was a criminal organisation with continuous activity, a specific structure, and distinct roles. This organisation included tax office employees on an island and a private accountant.
It was found that, since at least May 2024, the members of the criminal organisation had been facilitating, omitting, or conducting tax-related procedures that violated their official duties as employees. They also extorted business owners by demanding payments in exchange for settling their tax issues.
The money was mainly demanded through a private accountant, a member of the organisation, to avoid direct contact between the employee members and their victims. The members also took specific counter-surveillance measures during their activities and communications.
The leader of the organisation was responsible for coordinating the group, receiving and distributing the money to the other members. They also threatened employees and accountants who might expose the organisation’s activities. Additionally, they secured information on surveillance evasion techniques to ensure that the operational members of the organisation felt protected during targeted inspections conducted under their orders.
Moreover, the other tax officials were crucial to the organisation's operation. Due to their positions, they either supervised and controlled other employees, thus determining the speed and method of handling cases, or conducted on-site inspections of businesses following the leader’s instructions.
The accountant acted as an intermediary between the employees and the taxpayers, responsible for direct contact and communication between the tax authority and the individuals being audited. He/she also collected and delivered money from taxpayers to the employees, ensuring that his/her clients received preferential treatment from the tax office.
Searches conducted in homes, vehicles and other locations, as well as on the suspects, uncovered and seized:
- A total of €42,480,
- $1,770,
- Mobile phones, diaries and tax documents.
So far, it has been established that, since late May 2024, the criminal organisation has been involved in eight cases. It has been confirmed that the members demanded a total of at least €183,000 and managed to collect at least €38,000.
The arrested individuals were brought before the competent Prosecutor's Office, where they were referred to an investigating magistrate and granted time to prepare their defence."
ELENI KORONAKI
Source: minocp.gov.gr
