Architect-engineer convicted over Agricultural Bank loan scam
An architect-engineer was sentenced to 14 years in prison by a three-member court of criminal appeal in Thessaloniki, which found him guilty of being a protagonist in a scam involving house loans through the former Agricultural Bank.
The loans were disbursed in the period 2006-08 in the name of Roma borrowers, damaging the bank to the tune of €4.36 million. The scam was revealed in the northern city of Katerini following an internal audit of the bank. A civil engineer, who was an external partner of the local bank branch from where the loans were disbursed, was also sentenced to six years.
According to the indictment, the architect-engineer, after obtaining the power of attorney of the Roma borrowers, forged employer certificates and salary slips to present their creditworthiness
