Suspicious Dealing in Athens Registry

As Athens mayor Giorgos Kaminis mentioned at a municipal council meeting the inquest will be winding up soon, while adding that responsibilities will be placed where they lie. On Monday, the mayor sacked the head of the registry and two municipal employees for their handling of post-dated birth certificates.

Mr. Kaminis once again requested a change in the relevant law and the restitution of the clause requiring a judicial decision for post-dated birth certificates noting that the problem was exacerbated because of the inaction of previous governments concerning citizen registries.

Former mayor, and head of the main municipal opposition, Nikitas Kaklamanis said that after research into the registry, such post-dated certificates did not exist prior to 2011. As Mr. Kaklamanis noted among other finds, there were people born outside city limits, and registrations of children by the same mother born less than six months apart.

The head of the Athens municipal employee union, Vasilis Polymeropoulos criticized the speed with which the mayor fired the four employees, adding that 12 years ago the union had proposed a change in the law to the Interior Ministry, but was never heeded.