Tax officials arrested in Corfu extortion scandal
A serious taxpayer extortion scandal has been uncovered on the island of Corfu following an investigation by the Hellenic Police (ELAS) in collaboration with the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE). This case comes just months after a similar corruption incident was exposed at the Halkida tax office (DOY) on Evia island.
On Friday morning, officers from the police’s internal affairs unit dismantled a criminal organization suspected of engaging in extortion and bribery involving public officials.
Sources report that a major operation, conducted by the police’s “incorruptibles” in conjunction with AADE, led to the arrest of four tax officials, including the deputy director of the Corfu tax office, along with a local accountant.
The suspects are accused of targeting taxpayers, mainly business owners with unpaid tax debts, and using their criminal network to extort payments from them. The accountant, allegedly a key player in the scheme, is believed to have approached the victims to initiate the extortion.
Authorities have so far connected the suspects to at least ten extortion cases. Recorded conversations, now part of the evidence, have revealed critical details about the network’s operations.
The accused are scheduled to appear before a prosecutor and an investigating judge later on Friday to provide their statements.
In response to the developments, Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis emphasized the government’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption. “
As we saw in the regrettable Halkida case a few months ago, the Ministry of Finance will not tolerate corruption within its ranks. AADE acted swiftly then, and it has once again responded decisively in Corfu,” Hatzidakis said in a statement.
