Gang blackmailing store owners in Athens includes nine civil servants

Another 9 individuals are named in the case file as assisting them on occasion.

The file charges include several felonies, related to setting up a criminal gang, blackmail, bribery of a public servant, fake documentation, and violation of office data, among others, as well as violations related to laws on sports, arms, and the migration code.

The Interior Affairs Service for Security Corps made the arrests after a tip by an unnamed person against a woman blackmailing stores for personal profiteering. The gang was in operation at least since January 2023. The targets were companies related to food, hotels, and construction and kiosks, mostly in Athens, to whom gang members offered protection and fake certificates, after having found out through anonymous visits of possible violations. Store owners who did not accept the terms were threatened with municipal inspections and fines. 

Of the 9 public servants, one worked in the Athens Municipal Police, one in the city's building licensing department, and the rest in health inspection departments and the Ministry of Culture (the latter were the highest paid, collecting between 6,000 euros to 10,000 euros per case).

Authorities have certified 47 cases and assessed the total gains annually to over 700,000 euros. They also confiscated several objects, including cash, watches, cellphones, laptops, hard disks, official stamps, and documents. 

Those arrested were led before a prosecutor.

Athens Municipality

The Municipality of Athens said that it shows "zero tolerance for any corruption phenomena and actions by criminal networks," and ked closely with authorities to resolve the case. "It goes without saying that all involved employees are immediately suspended, while all foreseen procedures will be carried out simultaneously by the municipality's relevant services."